Perseverance
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Isaiah 43:2
STORY
In September 2017 People magazine published a sad story that carried with it a very inspiring message. Courtney Waldon, living in Tallapoosa, Georgia, was sitting next to a backyard fire pit when she told her husband, Mitch, as they were celebrating their two-month wedding anniversary, that she was cold. She turned away to check her Facebook when she heard a roar of flames. Turning back to look at the fire pit, she was engulfed in flames as Mitch had poured gasoline on the fire. Courtney had fourth-degree burns on her face, and third-degree burns on her hands and legs. She spent the next fifty-one days in the hospital and underwent ten surgeries. Two weeks after she returned home Mitch walked out on her, never to return. Regarding that moment in her life Courtney said, “I lost my dignity, my looks, and the person who I thought was the love of my life.”
In the years that followed the accident Courtney was still struggling. She still had surgeries and was slowly able to accomplish everyday tasks. She continued to persevere because of her determination and her inner stamina. Courtney has expressed this perseverance with a tattoo she had placed on her left forearm that reads, “I lived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.”
Points to Ponder
Ø In our lesson this morning we have God’s gracious promise that the scattered people of Israel will be restored to the Promised Land, though this promise is in the making as it is yet to be actualized. Are you able to accept God’s promises in your life?
o For me: I am able to accept God’s promises, even though most of them seem very distant. I have also come to understand that some of God’s promises may never be realized until I am in heaven.
Ø What exile have you experienced, having been taken into captivity by the foes of God?
o For me: My exile may not be a foe of God, but it is a result of the fall of creation when the pristine life in the Garde of Eden was disrupted. I suffer from Asperger’s which is on the upper end of the autism spectrum, causing me to often feel alienated and ostracized.
Ø Do you have the patience to await God’s blessing when you have experienced being exiled?
o For me: I don’t think individuals are naturally patient, as we are patient because life circumstances force us to be patient and wait.
Ø In our lesson we read the words of God’ protection of Israel. What words would you use to described God’ protection over you?
o For me: I would say living in the envelope of the Holy Spirit.
Ø How has your Christian faith allowed you to be perseverant?
o For me: I am perseverant because of the Holy Spirit and because of the support of Christians friends.
Ø What statement of perseverance would you tattoo on your forearm?
Ø For me: It would be one word – hope. This is the central message of the scriptures. I would like to reprint a learning experience that I wrote about in a previous devotion. It reads: J. Philip Wogaman, under whom I studied, was the professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., from 1966 to 1992. Dr. Wogaman always began the first class of each semester with this question: “What is the central theme of the Bible?” He heard from the students the expected responses of love, forgiveness, and salvation. I am sure you could name some themes that could be added to this list of replies. But the one answer the professor never received was the word “hope.” Wogaman would then discuss with the seminary students seated before him that hope is the central message of the scriptures. This is because hope is the message of the Resurrection, as well as the message of the Exodus.
Please share other Points to Ponder so I can update my list
Please share your thoughts with me – if you desire I will publish them for others to read anonymously or first name only or your entire name as you choose