I'm too tired to continue.....

      In the book The Dream Giver(1) the main character Ordinary finds himself in The WasteLand. Never mind, he just stepped out of his comfort zone to follow his Big Dream, and he just made it through all of the Border Bullies who tried to stop him, he now has stumbled into the desert of The WasteLand.

      Here is where Ordinary faces the greatest difficulty of his journey. Just when he convinced himself his dream was worth it, his faith in the Dream Giver was to be tested.

      This is an all too familiar journey for me. Two years ago in 2011, I decided to stop being just a cradle Christian. I stepped onto a path God had been waiting for me to see. This was the path designed for me and only me, and it was laid out before I was even "knit in my mother's womb."(a) However, had I known the struggles I would face, I might have chosen a different route.

      That's what I've grown to love about faith. If God told us everything upfront, it would blow our minds. He desires a deep intimacy with us, and I'm not sure we would feel very intimate knowing the circumstances we were to face and how He would engineer them for His glory.

Following a dream or calling is a walk through a series of trials and persecutions, but that refining was never intended for our gain and purpose.

"If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a number of experiences that are not meant for you personally at all. They are designed to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what takes place in the lives of others." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest(Nov 5th)

When I think of persisting in difficult circumstances, I'm often reminded of a speech given by a former college basketball coach. Suffering from cancer, he was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award. Here are some excerpts of his acceptance speech:

“But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.”

“…and I always have to think about what's important in life to me are these three things. Where you started, where you are and where you're going to be. Those are the three things that I try to do every day.”

“I just got one last thing, I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get you're emotions going. To be enthusiastic every day and as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing great could be accomplished without enthusiasm," to keep your dreams alive in spite of problems whatever you have. The ability to be able to work hard for your dreams to come true, to become a reality. “
"Don't give up, don't ever give up."
“Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.“ - Jim Valvano 1993 at ESPY Awards(2)

 

Decision #7

The Persistent Decision*

I Will Persist Without Exception.

Knowing that I have already made changes in my life that will last forever, today I insert the final

piece of the puzzle. I possess the greatest power ever bestowed upon mankind, the power of choice.

Today, I choose to persist without exception. No longer will I live in a dimension of distraction, my

focus blown hither and yon like a leaf on a blustery day. I know the outcome I desire. I hold fast to

my dreams. I stay the course. I do not quit.

I will persist without exception. I will continue despite exhaustion. I acknowledge the fact that most

people quit when exhaustion sets in. I am not “most people.” I am stronger than most people.

Average people accept exhaustion as a matter of course. I do not. Average people compare themselves

 

with other people. That is why they are average. I compare myself to my potential. I am not average. I see

 

exhaustion as a precursor to victory.

How long must a child try to walk before he actually does so? Do I not have more strength than a

child? More understanding? More desire? How long must I work to succeed before I actually do

so? A child would never ask the question, for the answer does not matter. By persisting without

exception, my outcome—my success—is assured. I will persist without exception. I focus on results.

To achieve the results I desire, it is not even necessary that I enjoy the process. It is only important

that I continue the process with my eyes on the outcome. An athlete does not enjoy the pain of

training; an athlete enjoys the results of having trained. A young falcon is pushed from the nest,

afraid and tumbling from the cliff. The pain of learning to fly cannot be an enjoyable experience,

but the anguish of learning to fly is quickly forgotten as the falcon soars to the heavens.

A sailor who fearfully watches stormy seas lash his vessel will always steer an unproductive course.

But a wise and experienced captain keeps his eye firmly fixed upon the lighthouse. He knows that

by guiding his ship directly to a specific point, the time spent in discomfort is lessened. And by

keeping his eye on the light, there never exists one second of discouragement. My light, my harbor,

my future is within sight!

I will persist without exception. I am a person of great faith. In Jeremiah, my Creator declares, “For

I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a

 

future.” From this day forward, I will claim a faith in the certainty of my future. Too much of my life has

 

been spent doubting my beliefs and believing my doubts. No more! I have faith in my

future. I do not look left or right. I look forward. I can only persist.

For me, faith will always be a sounder guide than reason because reason can only go so far—faith

has no limits. I will expect miracles in my life because faith produces them every day. I will

believe in the future that I do not see. That is faith. And the reward of this faith is to see the

future that I believed.

I will continue despite exhaustion. I focus on results. I am a person of great faith.

 

I will persist without exception.

 

* The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews(3)