The Power of Perseverance

by Andrew Phillips

It is official - the results from the latest Nashville Swim League City Meet are in, and 8 year old Jay Fleming finished 20th out of 47 in the 25-yard Butterfly event. Swimming is not his primary sport (that spot is reserved for baseball), but he is learning quickly. He has only been swimming competitively for three weeks, and he won the first heat for that race by finishing 10 seconds faster than his previous best time. Did I mention he only has one arm?
Shortly before Jay turned 7 years old, he lost his left arm in a tragic boating accident. The Tennessean recently reported Jay's story, and when Marty Penix passed the clipping along to me, Jay's response to the reporter immediately jumped off the page. When asked about his success in such a challenging circumstance, he replied, "It was pretty hard. I just kept trying to do it, and I did it."
That sounds like an oversimplification, doesn't it? Of course, there probably wasn't enough room in the column to detail all of the emotions felt by Jay and his family over the past year: the shock of the accident, the pulse-pounding trip to the emergency room, the anxious hours in the waiting room, the trying rehabilitation, those would have taken up too much room. But Jay does reveal insight into success in spite of setbacks: single-minded persistence.
The book of James begins by addressing various trials that his readers were facing, and verse 12 tells us that those who persevere through trials will be blessed by God, ultimately resulting in a crown of life. The remainder of the letter reveals that the rich were mistreating the poor and Christians were suffering. James didn't have room to mention all the gory details, but he did describe the solution. None of us lives a problem-free life, and there wouldn't be enough space in this bulletin to list the difficulties that face each one of us. Yet, Jay's quote (which captures scriptural wisdom) still speaks to our situation. We have to "keep trying." That doesn't minimize our problems; it maximizes our focus. The great thing about the spiritual race we are running is that all of us can receive the prize for persistence. The crown of life is available to all those who persevere. Our challenges are significant, but they pale in comparison to the eternal reward of persevering in God's service!

• Show Up Ready to Compete -Mar 18, 2007
• Keeping the Faith -Jun 12, 2005
• The Christian Race -May 01, 2005