Perseverance

Lungs bursting, legs throbbing and heart pounding, ignoring the pain, I look under the water to the end of the pool, 10 meters to the finish, I swim on harder and faster, determined to finish the race strong.

Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s in a small rural town, my childhood was one of great freedom. From a very young age, summer days were spent outside in the hot sun, and the best place to be was the local swimming pool. So, every morning and every evening for most of my young life I could be seen swimming up and down the pool, hours on end, training for the next race, learning never to give up. Through pain and exhaustion, persevering until the end, knowing that today’s training brings tomorrows reward.

Life itself can be like this today, the things we do today, still affect our tomorrow. 

Little did I know as a young girl swimming up and down the pool that my life would yield an array of events that demanded faith and perseverance just to get through another day.

Nobody is without pain. Each one of us at some time in our lives can feel broken and alone.

It’s been said, that if we knew what lay ahead, there are times would we choose to walk another road. But life has a habit of delivering the unexpected, like a dark mountain thrown directly in our path, we must walk through it to reach the sunlight on other side.

The violent attack on my life, the heartbreaking betrayal of a trusted friend and the deaths of my mother, father and then my husband are a few of those dark mountains that were suddenly hurled into my life within a short period of time.  My heart was ripped apart, my body ached with brokenness and my emotions were numbed with pain. 

Was I prepared for this onslaught? No. 

Was I bitter or angry? No. 

In the Gospel of John 16, Jesus tells us that living in this world we will have pain and sorrow. But to take heart; He has overcome the world, and in Him we have peace.

There was only one way to get through the mountain of pain, and that was to trust and lean on God.

Trust Him to get me through, trust Him for days of laughter and joy, trust Him to heal my broken heart.

In the book of Romans 8:28, the Apostle Paul says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” I held onto this scripture and believed it with all I had.

The one thing I know is that my God is a good God. He is Love, Mercy, Compassion, Kindness, Tenderness and full of Grace. It was His grace that brought me through, His love that held me together, and His forgiveness that washed over me when I was filled with regret and guilt.

Be encouraged, the same Jesus who walked me through this season with His great love, is here for you today. He rescued me, and He will rescue you too.

Just as I persevered through the pain of the race to reach the finish line, you too have the strength to perservere through your pain. You are never alone.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever, He never changes. 

He is Love.