Staying Power!
There is no question about it. Its hard. Its tiring. Its discouraging. The tendency is to give up and walk away, to disengage. It is essential to stay engaged.
The following insight from the personal experience of the apostle Paul provides important and logical information.
“Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one, (1 Corinthians 9:24-25, NRSV).
You and I are not Apostles. Does the counsel still hold true? The obvious answer is, “Yes!, It does indeed!” We are running a race, actually, the one race is divided into many parts, all of them leading to the same conclusion.
Part of our race is our family life. We create and sustain families based on the biblical model that we have received.
Part of our race is our church life. It is to be a community created and sustained by the acceptance of our Church Covenant and understood and sustained with the help of the Holy Spirit. Here we are to run and not grow weary.
Part of our race involves our community. We are to be witnesses to the grace and glory of Jesus Christ. And, we are, as it were, running towards eternity.
We cannot afford to lose sight of the imperishable crown of life. This is because there is a complementary element that also must be considered
“Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith, (Galatians 6:7-10, NRSV).
We reap what we sow. It sounds trite. It is true. Do now grow weary in doing what is right for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. There is no question about it. Its hard. Its tiring. Its discouraging. The tendency is to give up and walk away. It is essential to stay the course.
These principles work for us in many varied or conflicted situations. It works in parenting as fathers seek to nurture and discipline children. It works in families as the values and principles of the family are maintained. It works in congregations to resolve conflict and to set goals for a constructive future. It works in communities where politics can be a bane on developing vision and creating harmony.
“Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right,” (2 Thessalonians 3:13 NRSV). What is right? Paul in the above citation from Galatians provides us with a purpose. “So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for the family of faith.” Let us work for the good of all. You cannot do this is you have withdrawn and given up. You cannot do this is you are constantly engaged in criticism. You can only do this if you hold in mind the needs of the family of faith and how in Jesus Christ those needs may be met. So the questions might be, “How is you stamina?”
“When you are lonely, I wish you love. When you are down, I wish you joy. When things are complicated, I wish you faith. When things look empty, I wish you hope.” (Author Unknown; via Donna Lambert, Albuquerque, NM)