Perseverance is Grit AND Grace 

When you hear the word “persevere,” what comes to mind?

Is it the motivational posters at every 90’s office with the man in a business suit rolling a bolder up a mountain? Maybe it’s a team (athletic, military, work, or school) working together to complete an enormous task. Perhaps persevering is more of a day-to-day image where you are getting everyone out the door dressed, fed, and with their teeth brushed. Whatever “persevere” means to you, I feel it’s safe to say that it brings forth an image of hard work and persistence.

The concept of persevering is so commonplace in our society that I think we’ve become immune to it. Do we even really know what it means? In my episode this week, I talk about persevering as a “steady persistence,” but it is more than that. In fact, part of the definition of perseverance, according to dictionary.com, is “continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation.”

Persevering is as much about grace as it is about our grit.

As I was thinking about persevering with grace this week, I thought of Romans 5:3 (NASB), which says,

In this verse, Paul reminds us who are in Christ. Even though we may suffer, our suffering matters. What we are going through produces endurance and perseverance. We can rest, knowing that we stand in His grace, ensured that Christ dies for us so that we may rest in that peace.

As the to-do lists grow and the stresses mount (and they will), may we remember that persevering is resting in God’s grace as much as it is about getting the job done. Persevering is about working hard, but it is also about taking a moment to celebrate that true perseverance and endurance are not achieved through our efforts (or lack thereof) but only through God’s grace and love.

How can I pray for you? Please email me at the address below and let me know how we can persevere together through prayer.

We will wrap up our month on perseverance next week. If you haven’t had a chance yet, make sure to listen to this month’s podcast episodes!