Update:
There are some days that I just want to quit,
give up, and not trying anymore. I guess
more accurately, there are moments in my day when I want to do that (I usually
don’t feel like that for an entire day).
Maybe I’ve got some distressing news that despite my best effort
something is not going well. My thought
is “then why am I putting all this effort into this? I should just give in and let it go.” Do you ever have days or moments like that?
Dieting and exercise are good examples. You deny yourself all sorts of yummy looking
food (but not necessarily good for your body) and push your body to exercise
for days at a time. At the end of the
week you get on the scale and found out that instead of losing weight that you’ve
gained three pounds. Aargh! I am tempted to quit instead of persevere. But just looking at the scale may not give me
the entire picture. Maybe I’ve lost fat
but gained muscle. Maybe my fitness
level has improved and my blood pressure or triglycerides have dropped
because of my diet and exercise. If I
give up because I am discouraged by lack of immediate progress, I might miss
out on some of the best results. Good
things don’t necessarily come quickly or easily.
Over the last month I’ve been trying to get a
good, comfortable fit on my latest test socket.
How hard could that be? After all
the thing was made from a mold taken of my leg!
You would think it would be a snap and I would have no problems. Instead, I’ve experienced some of the most serious
pain that I’ve had since my amputation.
Just in the past week or two have we’ve made progress. But for the first couple of weeks NOTHING
seemed to help. Things seemed to be
getting worse and we didn’t make any progress.
I desperately want to walk and be active. I have worked hard to regain strength and
health so that I can enjoy many of the activities that I used to be able to
do. But after a few weeks of pain, I was
getting to the point of wondering, “Will this ever get better?” I was thinking that if that was the way it
was going to be, then maybe sticking with a wheelchair wouldn’t be so bad. And then a couple of weeks ago, one
adjustment we made resulted in a dramatic reduction in pain and
discomfort. My leg wasn’t perfect but it
gave me hope that eventually we’d get it figured out. Now at each appointment with my prosthetist,
we makes progress towards a functional, pain-free leg again.
It’s been since mid-October that I was
walking comfortably with a socket that fit well. Compared to the suffering and discomfort that
many people experience for various reasons, two months isn’t a long time; but
it certainly is longer than I imagined. Comparatively,
my pain has been minor. That all may be
true; but when it is your life that is interrupted with pain and suffering, it
seems much more intense! And yet I know that I don’t have much to whine
about.
Each of us needs to learn to dig deep and
persevere. We may not like suffering,
hardship or pain but when we stand firm and continue to fight, we usually find
that it was worth the battle. Even if we
don’t “win” we are still better off than if we rolled over and played dead.
We need to try our best and continue to try
again each new day. Who knows? Today might just be the day we achieve victory
because we didn’t give in and give up.
I don’t know about you; but I plan to keep
taking the next step forward and see how far I can go!
Thought
for the Day:
Here’s a copy of a daily on-line devotional
that I read, Today God is First (TGIF) by Os Hillman (December 7, 2014). I hope his words encourage you as much as
they did me!
"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but
we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces
perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Rom.
5:2-4).
“Perseverance is the key to every great accomplishment because nothing
of lasting value has ever been achieved without it. Industrialist Henry Ford is
one of the great success stories of American history, but he failed in business
five times before he succeeded. A Ford Motor Company employee once asked his
boss the secret of success, and Henry Ford replied, "When you start a
thing, don't quit until you finish it."
“The path ahead of you is strewn with obstacles. People will oppose you.
There will be financial setbacks, time pressures, illnesses and misfortunes.
Some of the biggest obstacles will be inside of you: self-doubt, insecurity,
procrastination, and worry. You must give yourself permission to succeed.”
“When we persevere through adversity, we win the approval of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who told the suffering church at Ephesus, "I know your
deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. . . . You have persevered and have
endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary" (Rev. 2:2-3).
That, I'm sure, is the same commendation Joseph received from God when he
passed the perseverance test.”
“Perseverance is a refusal to quit. It's falling down 100 times and
getting back up 101 times. We need to remember that perseverance is not a
matter of forcing doors to open; it's standing in front of the doors as long as
it takes before God chooses to open them.”
“Life is a marathon, not a sprint. The race doesn't go to the swiftest,
but to those who don't give up. We need endurance in order to deal with the
stress of adversity. We must maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and
get plenty of rest. People give up or give out when they feel depleted - when
they physically, emotionally and spiritually run out of gas.”
“When going through adversity, watch out for pessimists, blamers and
toxic personalities. Beware of people who try to talk you out of your dreams
and goals. Spend time with optimists and encouragers. Seek out people of faith.”
“Persevere
to the end.” [Os Hillman, Today God is
First, 12/7/2014].
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