Press On

"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us"- Romans 5:3-5 (NIV).

We have been promised that we will reign with the Lord if we endure (2 Timothy 2:12). Quitting is easy; but, staying the course is always rewarding. Even if you fail or falter at what you are asked to do, there is satisfaction in having completed the task. Did God put you in a demanding job, ask you to finish a college degree, stay with a frustrating marriage partner, stand your ground with an unruly teenager, place you beside neighbors who like to mow their grass at 6:30 AM on Saturday mornings; or did you lose something very precious to you: love, health, looks, finances, a family member. Believing God has everything under control, that nothing touches you before it goes through His hands, can make it hard to accept that He loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). Brothers and sisters, we have not been asked to drink the cup Christ drank for us. We have free will to choose to persevere or to quit. We have the example of Jesus who gave everything to purchase this freedom for us. You can make it; you can endure. Press on and into the arms of Jesus. They are wide open and waiting for you.