Perseverance

It was a year ago that our son, Kyle, learned to ride his bike without his stabilisers (training wheels). It was a huge battle to encourage him to keep trying but he persevered and now there’s no stopping him! A year later, and he is happy to cycle thirteen miles, over rough ground, going fast, going slow, up and down big hills and generally looking like he’s been on his bike for years.

Such progress hasn’t been achieved just through the initial ‘big leap’ to remove his stabilisers, but through a continuance of his perseverance. He’s continued to push the boundaries, both physically and through the natural fears of trying new things, all within the safety and security of our watchful eye and a lot of encouragement!

When I think of this scripture, I do wonder if it’s easy for us to fall into a belief that we’ve accomplished something God set out for us to do and we’ve stopped there, no longer persevering to push the boundaries and see what lies for us beyond that place. It’s clear that the pathway to maturity is to ‘let perseverance do its work’, in other words to continue working hard, pushing the boundaries, and going to the places that are unfamiliar, even fearful at times. There, like Kyle we can discover new freedom, a growing sense of achievement and maturity.

What’s been interesting for me to notice is that the perseverance Kyle has put into his cycling is being translated into the rest of his life. He doesn’t shy from a challenge. He works hard and believes that he can achieve many things if he puts his mind to it.
I have to admit, I stand aside feeling rather challenged by his attitude. There’s something about being an adult where you think that your time of persevering is over. I know that’s not true. There’s always more for us if we just keep on going and work hard to achieve what we may believe is impossible at the time.

Prayer: Father God, I know that there have been times when I’ve given up, or stopped moving forward, when things got a bit tough, or I feel that enough has been achieved. Yet, in You, there’s always more for us to discover and look forward to. Please give me the encouragement I need to persevere, so I can find a wealth in You that goes beyond my limited understanding. Amen.