Lent - Day 33

Lent - Day 33

from Living Well through Lent 2015
Living Compass Faith & Wellness Ministry

Persevering in the Face of Resistance

My friend Teddy keeps a rather depressing calendar. "Today's day 408," he'll mention in a hushed tone when I bump into him around town. He's counting to 730. That's two years. Two years to mark the anniversary of his daughter Sarah's death from a rare heart disease. Teddy says that, after two years, he will give himself permission to go to the next level of letting go. On her two year anniversary will come a new normal in which the sting of Sarah's death will further dissipate and a deeper "settling in" will appear.

Until then, it's day 408. 322 more days to go.

If resilience is the ability to deflect things like trauma, change, stress, etc., then perseverance is the ability to push through them. And as we move into this fifth week of Lent, consider the witness of Jesus as one of Perseverance -- as one whose ability to push through resistance offers us hope and strength to plow through the muck in our lives.

Resistance, then, can also be used as one of life's great validators. Encountering resistance can be a sign we're on the right track. When the sit-ups hurt, apologizing ups our blood pressure, and thoughts of insecurity emerge while taking the stage on open mic night, we hae one more reason to believe we're in the right place and doing the right thing.

So where are you finding resistance? How is God using it? And how are you tapping into and witnessing God's help?

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from Duane: I kept thinking of the Lego Movie when I read the resistance part. It still applies!  LOL