For today’s Back to School Bible Study Boost #4, let’s look at a word we all relate to: Perseverance. Just the sound conjures a response in the back of our throat where tears come from, the same place where groans of determination erupt. To “persevere” needs little definition, because we know what it feels like.
Schooling has a way of pressing perseverance into the character of each grown up and child wrapped up somewhere in the long, hard learning process.
What’s tempting you to throw up your hands and give up?
Galatians 6:9 extends a promise to those who don’t give up, those who persevere. The author Paul wrote to affirm readers in their faith, no matter how they succeed in their efforts to do right. At any stage of life, doing right all right all the time can take all we’ve got and more. But I almost hear him saying, “Come on! We can do this!”
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
Who needs to hear our voice of encouragement say, “Come on! You can do this!”
Digging deep and refusing to give up on doing good pays off. Don’t let weary win.
Persevere – it develops us
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”(Philippians 1:6) The perseverance of God in our lives guarantees His commitment to keep working on us.
Persevere – it benefits us
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”(Romans 5:3-4) Developing endurance to persevere leads to a stronger character and a hopeful heart.
Persevere – it guides us
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”(Hebrews 12:1-2) If we cast aside distractions and deterrents to staying on course, we follow the example of Jesus who stayed on course all the way to the cross.
How is God using the learning journey to teach your child to persevere? How is He teaching you to persevere?
Listen in to this excerpt from The ABCs of Praying for Students – Perseverance devotional.
We don’t pray for or expect the same harvest in the lives of different students. Just as children encounter unique obstacles and adversity, so they discover personal pathways around those barriers. Reaping a harvest requires the passage of time and perseverance in trials.
Perseverance pushes through the hardest things and the longest things to get to the best things. Parent or student, no one else feels a burden exactly like we do. Hardships have a way of sucking away at strength and optimism. Students learn this unwelcome lesson while encountering daily, or even moment by moment, trials. Fatigue is a natural byproduct of those battles, but perseverance means we hang on and we hold on, even when we can’t see how long the battle will be.
To “grow weary” is to become exhausted and weak. At our lowest, our spirit may “fail” in our very heart of hope, leading to deep discouragement. Students are not immune from this, despite the shelter of childhood. Motherhood has its way of bringing moms to moments like these. We must resist the urge to provide premature rescue from hard things for our students. We may need accountability to help our kids hold firm, instead of giving in to our personal pain in watching them wrestle. Parents ache while watching students suffer through a science project, stick to a therapy plan, stay with a class schedule, or finish out a season. Students need support to hang on through adversity, not permission to avoid it.
“Due season” is the “right time,” once time passes and the harvest reaper refuses to relax determination.
Due season will come when we enjoy the goodness from not giving up. Before we teach our students this lesson and cheer them on from the car line or homeschool desk or sideline, we have to live this one out before them.
- Perseverance in creating a healthy home.
- Endurance in work when it’s hard or thankless.
- Sticking to it in serving at church.
- Persevering in reading God’s word and spending time in prayer.
- Hanging in there in a hard marriage.
- Refusing to throw in the towel when feelings are hurt.
- Not letting weary win, but pushing through it.
Let’s hang on through hard things. When we persevere, at the right time, hanging on leads to a harvest.
If you’re navigating the Back to School season, you might enjoy using the newly designed tool How to Prayer Walk for Your School. Look here in the SHOP for details.
