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Eye on the Prize

           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. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do…  Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:2-8 & 12)         

           fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

          When the going gets tough… keep your eyes on the prize. This is hard to do when pain, anger, fear, or other emotions reduce our lives to themselves. James and Jesus both taught this idea. Viktor Frankl wrote that the people who survived the German concentration camps were those who had a reason to survive and didn’t let go of it. This is a struggle for me. It’s so much easier to look at what is and believe it will continue through eternity than it is to look at eternity.

          I’ve told the story of the man whom God told to push a huge boulder. The man pushed at it every day for hours and after doing this for a long time, he bowed before God and said, “I’m sorry, Lord. I’ve failed to move the boulder. I tried as had as I could, but it hasn’t budged.”

          And God said, “I never told you to move the boulder. I told you to push the boulder. I never meant the boulder to budge, but I did mean for you to develop the strength you have through the task.” We can think we have failed miserably because we think God has asked us to do one thing when He’s actually asked us to do another. And sometimes, that’s a good thing. If I knew that God’s goal was my strength and not the moving of the boulder, I would pay attention to every little change. “I’m stronger today! OK, God, I’m stronger now….” And the next day, “Oh God, I’m weaker today. I’m so pathetic. Why do I even bother?” The answer should be, “I bother because God has asked it of me.” Today’s strength will be different from tomorrow’s, and what matters is not today, or tomorrow, but what happens as a result of “getting going” and keeping going when the going gets tough.

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