Perseverance

So my Pastors message yesterday really REALLY hit home with me....do I persevere or do I cave under pressure/hard times?

PERSEVERANCE: (1) to walk under the load; (2) ability to endure when circumstances are tough

Lately, I have been ready to CRUMBLE into broken pieces, unwilling to be put back together. The stress factor(s) in my life lately has been HUGE and unrelenting...and I have been ready to quit, several times in fact. It seems like there is just too much on my plate. No other way to put it.

So here's what got me thinking: "Perseverance is the pathway to maturity..." (PD Cook) I know darn well, there are two possible ways for me to react to EVERY situation: my way or God's way. I've been feeling lately like I've given God control over MOST situations...yet I'm still doing my best to hold onto some myself. Why when the tough gets going, do I not hand the control over to Him and just follow his lead??

This is where perseverance comes into play. When I'm fighting him tooth and nail, is that making me more mature and Christlike?? I think a big NO WAY! God wants to make me more like him, and isn't he trying to do that right now...by showing me that the ONLY way to survive the day is to let Him have control over my every move??

Here are some other quotes that got me thinking:

"Sometimes God calms the storms, and othertime he calms his child."

"When you want to pull your hair out--dig your roots into Gods faithfulness."

"If you're thinking about quitting, it's too soon."

"If you want to quit something--quit trusting yourself."

I can't say that this will be a smooth-sailing adventure for me as I enter each new day. But somehow I feel this message was just the beginning of something BIG! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, apprehensive, or anxious about what God has in-store for my life...but hey who isn't?


I'll close with this thought/verse
Jeremiah 29:11-- "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"