“If you are going through hell, keep going. ” – Winston Churchill

 

You did it. You made the decision to go after your dreams. You cut your losses and went for it. All in.

And then you failed.

“Hmm, it must be a fluke”, you think.  “I will try harder.”  ” I’ll make more sacrifices.”

So, you try again. All in. Harder and faster than ever.

And again,  you fall flat on your face. With the world watching.

Now what do you do?

Crawl into a corner, hide in shame? Or dust yourself off and try again?

It recently hit me that I had been hiding in shame for a few years. I had no idea.

Having always been the pioneer, the role model, the shining example for my generation in my family, I was spoiled by success. Then, failure hit me “like a wrecking ball” again and again. And after a while I just hid, unable to bear the thought of another public whipping.

“Perseverance – continued effort in doing something or to achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition or delay in achieving success”  (Wiki, Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

I am learning about perseverance.

Perseverance  is the prerequisite for character, the key to  spiritual maturity.

The other day, I came across a verse on perseverance and nearly did a spit take. I had read it many times but it was the first time I really got it.

“…we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope.” – Romans 5:3b-4

We all go through trials – extremely difficult times. Some self-inflicted, but many others not. Things get really hard and it would make sense to give up. One can only take so much of a beating before one has to hand in the towel. Some situations are so rough, no one would judge you for giving up.

You don’t need perseverance to go through suffering… suffering produces the perseverance. Think about it for a second. Suffering produces perseverance.

So don’t beat yourself up for the trials you experience. Yes, some might be from our mistakes. But more often than not, trials spontaneously happen, difficult times strike without warning. The last thing you should be doing is beating yourself up.

In no way am I saying that suffering is a good thing. It is not. And to be frank, it sucks.

But.

It produces perseverance. I think of it like manure. Manure stinks. It is no fun to have around. It stinks, draws flies, etc. But it brings nutrients to the soil.

Suffering, trials, difficulties, produce perseverance.

Perseverance produces character.

Oswald Chambers says that “the strength is in the strain.”

Think of it this way. How would you know how strong you are? By knowing how much resistance you can withstand.

Consider weightlifting. You wouldn’t know how strong you were until you tried to lift weights.  So, I might say I am really strong and then go to lift a 200 lb bar. You would know the truth very quickly. Cars get tested. No one knows if the car is what is advertised unless there have been crash tests.

Perseverance, that ability to stay with something through the difficult circumstances, produces character.

So how do you become mature? By going through trials. I call it becoming spiritually buff. Sometimes, it feels a spiritual boot camp. Crisis after crisis, chaos and mishaps bombard you. Your life feels like a war zone. You don’t know if you are going or coming. There are just no words.

What do you do? I love the saying ” if you are going through hell, keep walking.”

You have to keep walking. Call someone you trust. Sometimes you reach out for help and there’s no one there. But you are never truly alone. I don’t know what your belief system is, and I am not going to tell you what to believe. But here is what I know for me. Everytime I have prayed for help, reached up for divine assistance, I have received it. It might not be in the way I expected but I have gotten help.

God is near.

All you have to do is ask. And keep walking.

Yes, you might be thirsty, get a drink. You might be tired. Get some rest. Take a break, sharpen the saw, then get back to chopping wood.

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”― Maya Angelou

The world is filled with stories of people who triumphed because they did not give up.

Churchill. Edison. Lincoln. Mandela. Mother Theresa. Gandhi. Maya Angelou.

Your life has purpose. And because you are alive, you have a story to tell. You have work to do. And you have to keep on moving.

Cry if you need to. No judgment here. I will cry with you.  But keep walking. Sooner or later, you will get to the other side, with battle scars yes, but also, an incredible story to tell and the renewed hope that life is worth living.

So, “Keep calm, and carry on”.

Practicing Perseverance
1. What trials, obstacles, difficulties or challenging are you currently facing?
2. How do you see them? Never-ending? Hopeless? Opportunities for growth and maturity?
3. Pick a current situation. What would practicing perseverance look like for you?What small step can you take now?
4. Prayer can give you access to the strength to persevere. What words of prayer can you whisper now?
5. Can you think of anyone who has earned the right to hear your story? How can you reach out to them?
6. Sometimes trials can get really intense and one can get worn out from the battle. What time can you carve out for rest, solitude and self-care?
7. Can you think of a time when you overcame? How did that victory feel? Write down that experience and draw on it for hope in your present situation.

Marie Forleo says, “The world needs that special gift that only you have.” Dare to rise up again and again after each failure. In life,  crash tests are inevitable. You are alive for a reason. Hang in there, hope is near.  See you next time!

Yvonne Whitelaw writes for Yvonnewhitelaw.com where she blogs about her quest to grow into her ideals in her “Live Your Ideals Project”. By sharing her lessons along the way (every Monday and Thursday), she hopes to serve and inspire a tribe of wholehearted warriors like you, to “live your ideals, live your calling and change the world.”