Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Hebrews 10:32-36)
Remember when you started
that project, hobby, or relationship? There might have been some fear but there
was probably more excitement. There were probably people who got in the way,
you were going to do this thing, whatever it was. Then, as time passed, the
thrill dissipated, the pain and fatigue caused by opposition got to you. I’m
reminded of what I call the “Yuck Factor” when the creative project begun seems
to be irredeemably flawed, and whatever talent you may thought you’d had has
resulted in disappointment. You’re never going to learn, it’s never going to
work, etc.
This is a natural part of
the process of learning, growing, creating, and doing anything new. The
recipients of the letter to the Hebrews had faced hardship when they first
turned to Christ, and they stood firm. But time passed, and doubts crept in.
The victory you thought you’d had may have been there for a time, but now it’s
tarnished or missing.
The warning the author of
Hebrews gives those to whom he wrote (including us) is to not throw away that
sense of excitement, dedication, joy, or whatever. It may not feel as if the
remaining tiny flame is worth it, but we are to stoke the fire anyway. It might
be what keeps us alive. Continuing to trudge along may be what gets us to take
the one more step that will take us to where we’ll see an inspiring view.
Hitting the nail one more time may be what drives it into the wood. And even if
what we’re doing seems to be for nothing (at the moment,) if we keep going, we
may find it precious.
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