… the testing of your faith develops perseverance. — James 1:2
I like to walk out in nature. That’s my way of connecting with God. For walkers, here in Wisconsin we have three seasons: one month of yellow jackets followed by seven months of cold followed by four months of mosquitoes. Sometimes in the summer months, the marsh where I like to walk is filled with angry, biting, hungry, swarming insects. Years ago I would take a quick walk, swatting madly at the bugs feeding on my flesh, and race back to the car, miserable and defeated. Sometimes I went the chemical route, but I’m not sure DEET is much better than the mosquitoes.
Then one day I met a fellow who was wearing a mosquito net outfit. While I was trying to kill deer flies and mosquitoes before they bit me, he was calmly enjoying his walk. So I made a decision. I didn’t care whether it looked cool or not, I decided to buy a bug net.
After I bought the net, I went for a walk. It didn’t take long for the mosquitoes to find me. At first there were two or three, but it wasn’t long before there must have been fifty or more. And, yes, I did get a couple bites — one or two on my hand, and one or two when a mosquito found her way (only the females bite) under my bug net. But, for the most part, I walked along slightly distracted but fully protected.
It strikes me that God’s grace is like the bug net. And my troubles are like mosquitoes. Before God brought truth to the inner parts (Psalm 51:6), every little annoyance and irritation "drew blood" so to speak. But as God’s grace covers more and more of my life, even when troubles swarm around me, they can’t bite any more. Yes, they are there. But God doesn’t allow them to land.
So what is perseverance? Perseverance is the miraculous, God-given grace to walk through troubles, look around and realize that they no longer bite.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
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