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Perseverance

Cheerful Perseverance

by TerryLema

On September 6, 1995, Cal Ripkin, Jr., Orioles Hall of Famer, broke Lou Gehrig’s all-time consecutive game streak of 2,130 games.  I remember watching that game, hearing the standing ovation that just would not stop, watching Ripkin shoved out of the dugout to take a lap around the field in the middle of the game just to get the game going again.  Before he was finished, Ripkin would stretch that streak to 2,632 games.  2,632 consecutive games!  He is baseball’s all-time iron man.

If there is a word that describes Ripkin it might be perseverance.  Perseverance in our English dictionary means a steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or disappointments.  I’m sure Ripkin had all those, he may not even have wanted to play baseball some days.  But he persisted.  It was his ethic to be there and do his job.

Heb 12:1 says, “let us run with perseverance [endurance] the race marked out for us.” The Greek word is hupomone (hoop-om-on-ay’).  It adds something to our English definition of perseverance.  It means cheerful (or hopeful) endurance.

Hopeful endurance.  Why hopeful?  Because of the following verse in Hebrews 12:  “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the source [author] and perfecter of our faith.”  [HCSB]

Our perseverance is cheerful and hopeful because what we see in front of us is not the acclaim of men, not a statistic in a record book, or even the garnering of Hall of Fame votes.  It is Jesus, out in front of us, leading us in the race, urging us on to a perfection of faith.  We fix our eyes on the One who died for us, who endured the cross with joy because of us.  Because of Him, we can certainly persevere in our race, full of hope and cheerfulness.

 

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One More Time

by TerryLema

I enjoy sports. I enjoy most all sports so when the Olympics roll around, I usually watch. I like the summer games best but also enjoy the winter ones which are going on now. I like the backstories almost more than the actual events.

Recently snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis won the first gold medal for the USA at the Beijing Winter Olympics. I watched her race, and it was great, but Lindsey’s backstory is even greater.  Her snowboard cross win and her personal first Olympic gold medal came at the age of 36 years, in her fifth Olympic appearance.

Lindsey first appeared in the 2006 Winter games, and despite a brutal fall, claimed a silver medal. Following that auspicious start, she came in fifth in 2010, seventh in 2014, and fourth in 2018.

“It doesn’t define you,” she said when asked what message she’d send to younger racers about mistakes of the past. “Especially if you’ve made it to this stage, you’re a winner. And look at what you’ve learned from the experience and take that with you later in life.”

Mistakes do not define you.  Failures do not define you. Jesus defines you. So run like a winner because you are!

Hebrews 12:1: Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance [perseverance] the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. [HCSB]

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Our Race

by TerryLema

I am having a difficult time getting my brain to “calm down.” It is not agitated by fear or anxiety. It is flooded with so much information and “mis” information. What I would like to do is simply turn off all information sources for a few weeks. That means, turning off the television, radio, internet, phone, and every device that buzzes, rings, squawks or tweets. To truly do that is impossible. Besides, I would have to turn off my husband also since he listens to a lot of the “information” and repeats it throughout the day.

I would love to run away and hide for a little while. Run, run, run far away from all that is going on around us in this present day of trouble. The LORD, however, does not call us to run away. Instead He calls us to run our race despite all urges to the contrary.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews recounts the exploits of our faithful ancestors in Hebrews Chapter 11. It is God’s Faith Hall of Fame and includes such heroes as Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, and others, none of whom lived in easy, laid-back times. Right after telling us about such great men and women, the writer reminds us of our responsibilities.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” [12:1]

As believers, we are to run our race of faith just as the heroes did. I usually read that verse and focus on the sin that entangles, or the things that hinder, or the need to run with perseverance. But this morning, my focus was drawn to those four little words about the race “marked out for us.” (The NKJV translates it as the race “set before us.”)

We are called to run our race, the one God marked for this generation, this time. It is not the race that Noah or Joseph or Rahab had to run, it is the race that God calls us to run today. It is a race through fear and viruses and misinformation and opinions and shelter-at-home directives. It may be less difficult than others had, or maybe more difficult than others had, but whatever it is, it is ours to run! So run we shall. Amen.

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