The Power of Perseverance

In thinking about perseverance, I can't help but bring up my absolute favorite movie, Gladiator. The main character, Maximus, is the definition of perseverance. The evil emperor tried everything humanly possible to break his will, his spirit, his determination, his character, his very life; but Maximus continued to persevere through it all. In the final scene of the movie, the evil emperor challenges Maximus to a gladiator style fight to the death. At this point, all hope seems lost in the movie and Maximus is bleeding to death. As you watch the scene, you see Maximus fade in and out of consciousness as he is clearing dying. In one particular part, he has fallen to his knees, dropped his sword, and has begun to hallucinate. It's clearly the end. He's had enough. The evil emperor comes behind him with his sword drawn ready to behead him, and at the last second, Maximus has just a little bit left.

PERSEVERANCE

In the book of James, he says that perseverance through trials matures our faith. When our faith is fragile, we are like a wave in the sea that is blown and tossed around in the ever changing wind. When we allow ourselves to be tossed around like a rag doll, we become unstable and anxious, and that is when things start to fall apart. As our faith matures, we learn to stand firm on Jesus through our trials so we won't be swayed, so our spirit won't be broken. We learn to persevere through every trial and obstacle that comes our way.

As January is coming to a close, some of you may have already started to give up on your new year's resolution and health goals. You may feel yourself slipping into the waves. You may already be tossing and turning in the churning water, completely lost already. You may be hanging on by a thread, determined to persevere, even though the odds seem totally stacked against you. I would encourage you to dig in. Dig in to God and his word. Pray that God would fill you with the perseverance to see this new healthy habit through. 

News flash: I do NOT love eating veggies everyday. I would much prefer to eat Oreo's everyday instead. But, I do love the way that veggies make me feel after I eat them. I love the health benefits, both short and long term that they have. I love the way that veggies help to improve my skin and digestion. I love that they work to prevent diabetes, which is VERY prevalent in my family. I love the energy that veggies give me. But let me tell you it takes some perseverance to make veggies a regular part of my diet. Veggies take more time to prepare, they're expensive, and they don't taste great. I have to continually remind myself that eating veggies is worth it. 

Why? 

Because perseverance always pays off. Just look at every person you know who's life has been changed by Jesus. It took serious levels of perseverance for him to complete his death on the cross. I can't even imagine how many times he was SO CLOSE to giving up, calling down an army of angels to fight for him, end the pain, remove the shame. His death was long, humiliating, and brutal. I don't know about you, but I am so thankful that Jesus chose to persevere. 

And if he could persevere through that death to his resurrection, you can persevere through your current health issues. Don't give up on the goals you've set for yourself. Don't give up on the healthy lifestyle you're trying to implement. When you feel beaten down and discouraged, just give it a little more. Like Maximus, that one last push could save your life and make all the difference. 

Wishing you Health, Hope, & Happiness

Abby

p.s. If you haven't seen Gladiator, I highly recommend it.