Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Perseverance - holding on or letting go?

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 34th week in Ordinary time

November 27, 2024: Revelation 15:1-4; Luke 21: 12-19

Perseverance, in terms of targets and achievements, as the world teaches, is holding on endlessly. The same, when it comes to our relationship with God... it is giving up limitlessly and unconditionally.

Difficulties, problems, temptations, struggles, misunderstandings, loneliness, desperation, distress... in all these, whatever level they reach, if I can give everything up to God and say, 'Lord you see to it,' - that is truly perseverance.

Perseverance, is therefore, to give up totally into the hands of God, regardless of successes or failures, gains or losses, happiness or sadness, prosperity or misery! It is not praising God and exalting God when everything goes fine. And come one trouble, finding every reason to doubt God, speak against God, question God, lament against God and feel discouraged about God. That is a sign of a lack, a lack of perseverance.

The profound experience of faith is all about letting go of everything and walking with our hands in the hands of God. If we can do that - in the midst of difficulties to remain calm and trust in the Lord; in moments of failures to sit by the Lord and recount what is going on within us; in moments of anxiety to tell myself that God is there all the time with me and all that I need to do is surrender - that is indeed what Faith is all about!

Faith is knowing that the Lord is; and deciding to be there with the Lord, come what may!