Weekly Words

Perseverance

My little sister, who I love deeply and dearly, received her Bachelors of Science Degree in Dietetics at Prairie View A&M University this May. It took her seven years. Though I have been frustrated with her along the way, I am now basking in pride because I have recently been struck with the profound amount of perseverance it took her to accomplish this goal. Yes, I could spend all day imagining a million scenarios in which she could have studied harder, focused better, and finished quicker, but another glaring reality stares me in the face. In seven years, she had two thousand five hundred fifty-five opportunities to quit, but she never did! Once she was done with her first four years, there were still one thousand ninety-five opportunities to throw in the towel. However, she pressed on! Now, she can live the rest of her life with an achievement that can not be taken away.

I mention this because so many of us have decided not to live out a dream, pursue a goal, seize an opportunity, or finish some great feat that we have started because the finish line seems too far from the starting line. So many of us would be lawyers, if it were not for the three years (1,095 days) of law school. So many of us would be doctors, if it were not for the eight years (2,920 days) of medical school and residency. Perseverance is such an important and indispensable part of our ability to succeed.

I want to encourage someone today to persevere. Find some dream, set some goal, or go after some opportunity, and then take daily steps toward your ambition. Everyday do something, at least one thing, that moves you closer to what you want to do and who you want to be. Those steps add up. Studies suggest that if you spent one hour a day studying anything, in three years you would be an expert in that field. This is evidence of what happens when you persistently stick to anything. Someone might be intimidated by the reality that your aspiration will take five, or even ten, years to accomplish. Yet, if you live for five more years, the only question will be: did you spend those years walking in the direction of your destiny, or just wandering directionless? That is why I am so proud of my sister. Clearly she did not spend each day maximizing each minute of her time, but she never altered her direction. She was persistently pointed toward a degree, and now she has one.

Finally, along with persistence, perseverance takes perception. You can not persevere through anything or for anything without a perception of a tomorrow that looks different than your today. In the midst of where you are and what you are going through, you have to be able to see another reality, focus on a better day, and imagine a better possibility. This perceived VISION gives you the fuel to keep moving. If there is no reason to move, no reason to grow, no reason to persist, then there will be no motivation to persevere. All this to say: the race is not given to the swift, nor is the battle given to the strong, but to those who endure to the end. Congratulations Britney! I Love you!

Humbly in Christ’s Love,
Pastor B.A. Jackson