Veranda Posts and Persevering

It’s been an inspiring week, starting last Saturday with our second workshop with the elders and leaders on presentation skills, and then Sunday afternoon and Monday, Felicity and I attended the Kaimai Leaders Retreat held at the Pacific Park Christian camp in Papamoa.

At our staff devotions on Friday, Maria shared a special story about veranda posts. So, I have invited her to share her talk with you. Enjoy reading!

Four months.  That’s how long it took me to restore the verandah posts on our house. Toiling away with the scraper, sandpaper, builders’ bog and paint.  One finished, nine to go. Five finished, half way.

Three more at once, Yay!  Two to go.  Can I keep going?  Bother, it’s raining this week! That’s going to interfere with my schedule. And finally, on the 27^th March, I finished.  Hooray!

I began to consider whether I apply the same determination in my walk with God.  Can I persevere in my prayer life the way I do physically and mentally when I’m in the middle of a ‘project’?

To be honest, sometimes no.

So, why can some people persevere and others can’t?

Why do we give up when God has promised us so much?

Firstly, our perspective is limited.  We see the obstacle in front of the promise, and it can make us doubt.

E.g. The Israelites saw the giants in the land of Canaan and doubted that they could take the land God had promised.  As a result, they wandered in the desert for 40 years.

Secondly, progress isn’t always obvious.

Sometimes, we have to show up and do the same thing day after day, but we don’t see any progress.

The Solution

Keep a positive frame of mind.  Remind yourself that God is faithful, He will strengthen you and help you. Read his word, be obedient, show up, pray, tell those voices of doubt to be quiet, forgive, love others, choose faith, trust God.

The writer of Hebrews says ‘You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” (Hebrews 10:36-37)

Paul the Apostle writes to Galatians, “ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).

Don’t give up! Keep at it.