The power of perseverance
I don't know why I freak out whenever a hard blow strikes. I mean, with all the encouragement I've received and passed on to others, you'd think I would be steeled against the trouble this world can bring.
Alas, this latest one still clasps me in its grip. Here's what's been happening.
My roof leaked, so insurance paid for a new one. Elated with the completion of this major improvement to my house, I thanked the Lord for his blessing.
But before my prayers had fully rendered, I noticed mere hours later that it was leaking again. In the exact same spot, right over my bed.
Right over my bed!
Yesterday, the roofers returned and fixed a spot that I frankly think they forgot in their rush to get the job done.
I celebrated again.
Then, later that night, another dribble poured out over my bed. Discouragement rushed back in. The roofer thinks—and I hope he's right—that it was just a pool of water in the attic that had drained out all at once.
It's now the next day, and it's raining again. I'm about to go home and see if the leak is still there. Oh Lord, help me be okay with whatever I find.
In the meantime, I'm reminding myself of an encouraging devotion by Pastor Rick Warren (dated 7/19/25) that I read earlier today. He says, "The very thing that's discouraging you right now is the very thing God is using to develop you right now."
I want to be developed, Lord. I do. Right now. Help me lean into my spiritual growth … help me trust you. Even with this leak.
Pastor Rick finishes his devotion with, "There will be growth in the painful parts of life that you will not gain any other way. The process will not make you perfect, but it will move you toward being more like Christ. And if you'll trust God to keep you and walk with you in your pain, he will develop endurance in you and give you his peace and rest."
I like how James puts it: "When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing" (James 1:3-4, NLT).
This verse made me think. If I have endurance for the hard parts of life, what else do I really need in life?
If you're able to weather whatever you face with full trust in God's will, and that he'll deliver you somehow, why would you ever need to fear or even stress about these parts of life?
Indeed, I am weak. You probably are, too. Let's join together and ask the Holy Spirit to build endurance in us.
It's all we really need.
Persevering with you,
Tom Harper
Founder, BiblicalLeadership.com
LinkedIn profile | My books
 | Tom Harper is publisher of BiblicalLeadership.com and executive chairman of Networld Media Group, a business-to-business publisher and event producer. He has written five books, including Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership (DeepWater Books, 2019) as well as the Christian business fable Through Colored Glasses and its sequel Inner Threat (DeepWater, 2022). Learn More » |
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