On the Pursuit of Persistence

To say I thought it was unfair is a gross understatement. I tried to keep myself from whining but failed spectacularly as I struggled to convince my mother otherwise. My mother maintained an impassive expression as she let me know in no uncertain terms that my Sunday School teacher had my best interest in mind. She also reminded me that it was a privilege to have the word of God written on our hearts and that any effort we put towards that was never wasted. I knew what my mother said was right but I could not will myself to be compliant with this turn of events. This was not how I pictured myself spending my summer vacation. I wanted to read books all day and write poems. I wanted to practice being lackadaisical in peace.

Needless to say, my mother was not amused.

“You will do as Lydia aunty suggests. All the students of that class will have to memorize the book of James. Whoever memorizes the most and makes the least mistakes takes home the prize.”

If I was whining until then, I began to whimper now. I could not believe it was humanly possible to memorize an entire book in three weeks. Even if it was, I wanted no part in it. I was convinced my Sunday School teacher wanted to eliminate any semblance of fun from my summer holidays. Since my mother stood her ground, I took up the challenge kicking and screaming. However, my mother, being the kind of woman she is, took it upon herself every day to encourage me to complete the task. She reminded me of how pleased God was that I was obeying my elders and studying His word. You won’t ever regret it, she said. I certainly didn’t enjoy it, at least at the beginning, but I did it anyway. I kept at it for three weeks straight.

To make a long story short, the book of James is still committed to memory. And as always, my mother was right. I haven’t regretted it once. That book has poured more into my life than any other book in the Bible. Every time a preacher mentions a verse from the book of James, I lip-sync the verse quietly and think to myself, that’s my book. In times of distress and temptation, the words from that book come to life quickly to sustain me.

Recently, I went back to the book to refresh what I committed to memory over eighteen years ago. As I went around my house muttering the book of James under my breath, I marveled anew at the first few verses that make an appearance: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.“

I can relate my perpetual struggle of becoming more like Christ to the reluctant manner in which I memorized the book of James. Although my heart wants to be transformed to the image of Christ increasingly with each passing day, my flesh fights against it and is only pleased when it bows to its own bidding. It is a constant struggle that I face every minute of the day. When I disagree with someone I have the freedom to speak against, do I let the Holy Spirit manifest in that situation, or is my tongue quick to annihilate? When my children are being louder than necessary despite multiple warnings, do I exhibit the patience and long-suffering of the Holy Spirit or do I lash out at those who are powerless in the face of my anger? When someone I know talks behind my back, is Christ’s forgiveness and humility on display through me, or do I look to gather more evidence to cut them down to size?

I want to be like Jesus. Each time I fall, I want to stand up and run to him. I am flawed, broken, and wretched. I refuse to lie where I fall – feeling hopeless and lost. My hope is in Christ Jesus. He alone rescues me from this body that is subject to death. In Him alone, my hope is found. I do not have a 6-step method I follow in order to fix my flaws. He is the only One who has all the answers. He does not make me a better person. Far from it! He makes me a new creation. Christ ought to be the source of our strength. No matter how many times we fall or how many times He seems to be silent, we would do well to persist in our quest to be more like Him.

Dear friend, be careful not to treat prayer as a means to your strategy. Instead, may prayer be your strategy. Pray with faith until you experience change. Faith is so becoming on a child of God. “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) It is an exercise in futility to try and be persistent without having faith. Your faith is reflected in your persistence. If I do not truly believe that God will respond to my need in His wisdom, how could I possibly be relentless in presenting my petitions before Him?