Do you have any experiences with the Perseverance chapter to share? What action steps have you tried? What stories do you have about the need for perseverance in your life? What encouragement can you offer to other readers on the perseverance portion of their journey?
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Katie Brazelton & Shelley Leith
C0-Authors
7 comments:
This is a great end and important consideration when you're feeling zero character! THanks for a great journey.
I have a bit of a stubborn streak. I go for things with dogged determination. And I am not one to give up. Never would I have realized how much I would appreciate a fresh look at perseverance from an eternal perspective. As an avid runner, my heart bursts every time I cross the finish line. I can only imagine the joy as I sprint through the pearly gates and hear my Lord's final hurrah, "Well done good and faithful servant." It's enough to keep me keeping on and " press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 3:14. Thank you CM for the nudge to run my race faithfully to the finish.
Day 44 - How to keep on to the end.
Have you ever worked really hard on something and right near the end you think you can slack “just a little” then suddenly all your hard work unravels?
I’ve done that. Many, many times. It’s not easy to admit, but surprisingly easy to do! I have a very busy schedule. A full time job. Not to mention cooking, cleaning, laundry and volunteer work at church. This is my life, and I love every minute of it.
Sometimes I allow life to overtake me. When I have a specific project to do that requires perseverance over a length of time to accomplish, there are many times that I start to slack off near the end.
It’s not hard to find excuses to slack off in the end. Work was hard today. I have too much on my to do list. I could give you a list of excuses a mile long because I have used every one known to man and a few you have probably never thought of.
Time is a sneaky little devil. You get so rapped up in what you are doing and decide slacking off for just a little while won’t hurt. Suddenly your little while turns into: I can’t remember the last time I …..
Went to the gym perhaps? Stuck to my budget while shopping? Did bible study? Went to church? Called my friend ______________?
The next thing you know, a lot of time has passed and a little while turned into a long while. These examples are not all necessarily long term goals, but they all apply.
After much thought and consideration, I have come up with something I am going to do the next time I need to accomplish a goal that requires me to keep on keeping on.
I am going to get an accountability coach, and not just one. I will have one in all places. Work, home, church, or wherever else someone might see me, not doing what I need to do! I know it sounds somewhat extreme, but to be honest, sometimes that is the only way I will stick to what I need to do.
No one said sticking to something was easy!
Nellie ;~)
Day 45 Your Perseverance Coach
Today I am going to try to keep it brief. ( I know some of you are sighing and thinking God HAS been listening to your prayers ;~D)
Today’s chapter had several questions on perseverance and persistent prayer, but one in particular stuck out to me, as I had not fully realized this pattern. The question was this:
It is important to be aware of the resources you draw upon when you have problems. List the people or places you typically turn to for solutions, and place “Persistent Prayer” on the list in the order in which you usually get to it.
Here is my list in order:
1. Husband
2. Friends
3. Church
4. Family
5. Persistent Prayer
I will say something about the above answer. The order in which I do things depends on what the problem is. However, this is my most common order. Seems I have some prioritizing to do.
Nellie ;~)
Day 46 - Steps to Perseverance
It’s that time again to pick some action steps and sadly, the last day of the book! I am going to make it a goal for the rest of the year to occasionally follow up and let you know how I am doing with these action steps I have chosen throughout the course of this book. On to my final selections!
I will be prompt.
I have gotten a hair bit lazy on being on being prepared and on time. I am going to try my best to make sure that I am prepared and prompt. Especially when it comes to correspondence, bill paying and completing projects.
I will evaluate and let go.
Time has come to assess the projects and direction of my life and let go all that is unnecessary and that keeps me from doing what is most important.
I will assess responsibilities.
I am going to make an active and conscious effort to think about my responsibilities and put them in order of importance. I am going to delegate out those that are not required to be done by me, and allow someone else to pick up the slack.
I will find my passion.
So many people have a passion and know what it is. For some it is a cause or charity, for others it is an activity like jogging, racing, or knitting. I am going to make an effort to step outside my comfort zone and find my passion.
Until the next follow up…..
Nellie :~)
I must admit I am not always the most self-disciplined person. I'm a great starter and then I can fizzle out. I started home schooling my three boys after about a year or two of feeling a calling to do so. My fear of not following through made me hesitate, but thankfully God kept nudging. Finally, I just said, "Ok God, if this nudge is really from you, as I believe it is, then you will give me the perseverance I need to follow through. I am happy to say that we are now in our 7th year with one son graduated and two to go. I have thrived while homeschooling and my boys are happy learners. The moral is...sometimes we can fizzle out because what we are doing may not be God-ordained and we can't beat ourselves up when that happens. If God has a plan for us and we simply rest in him he will give even the "undisciplined" the perseverance to follow through.
Melissa Eifert LPC Student
Thank you I need an extra dose in this area
Bonnie D
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