The Power of Persistence

By Victor M. Parachin

In the 11th century, Henry III, king of Germany, became dissatisfied with court life and the pressures of the monarchy. Unlike many rulers, Henry was a deeply spiritual individual whose faith guided his daily life and rule.

Therefore he made a visit to Prior Richard, the leader of a local monastery, asking to be received as a contemplative. His wish, Henry explained, was to spend the rest of his life in the monastery.

“Your Majesty,” responded Prior Richard, “do you understand that the pledge here is one of obedience? That will be hard because you have been a king.”

“I understand,” said Henry. “The rest of my life I will be obedient to you, as Christ leads you.”

“Then I will tell you what to do,” said the prior. “Go back to your throne and serve faithfully in the place where God has put you.”

Undoubtedly Prior Richard”s advice to Henry III was surprising and perhaps even disappointing to the king. Yet, the prior touched upon faithfulness, an important theme of the spiritual life. When we grow weary of our roles and responsibilities, when the temptation to give up and quit is great, when we would prefer to flee rather than face the challenges of daily living, we should first remind ourselves that God calls us to be faithful.

Of course, there are times when we should cut our losses, detach from impossible situations, and move forward in life. However, before doing that we need to remember that there are times when God places us in certain situations and that God expects us to be dependable, loyal, and conscientious.

That is why faithfulness is included in Paul”s listing of spiritual fruits: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness . . .” (Galatians 5:22). The virtue of faithfulness is to be applied when marriage is hard, parenting is difficult, or work is challenging. It is true regardless of our roles in the local church and whether we are workers or homemakers, plumbers or executives, entrepreneurs or employees.

The Bible consistently reminds us not to give up the battle or to take the easy way out. Some examples include”””Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9) and “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

Faithfulness””the qualities of commitment, dedication, and loyalty””are the hallmarks of spiritual maturity.

Here are some arenas of life where faithfulness is vital.

 

Faithful in our work. Even though many jobs are not high paying or glamorous, we can add dignity to the task and meaning to our lives by doing the work to the best of our abilities. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of Heaven and earth will pause to say: “˜Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.””

When Ruth Simmons became president of Smith College, one of the country”s most prestigious institutions of higher learning for women, it was an incredible achievement. Simmons is the great-great-grandaughter of slaves. She began her journey to Smith on a cotton farm in Grapeland, Texas, where her parents were sharecroppers. Later they moved to an impoverished section of Houston where her father found work in a factory and her mother scrubbed floors for white families.

When asked how such humble beginnings led to a career at the top of academia, Simmons answered, “I had a remarkable mother. She would sometimes take me with her to work when I was a little girl, and the thing I remember vividly is how good she was at what she did. She was very demanding in terms of her own work. “˜Do it well, do it thoroughly, whatever you do,” she”d say.”

Simmons”s mother continues to influence her work even as president of Smith College. “I know the Smith board of trustees thinks I”m trying to live up to the standards they set for me, and that”s OK,” she says. But Simmons has a higher standard: “Every day I”m here I try to be the kind of person my mother wanted me to be.”

 

Faithful in our prayer. “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of,” noted poet Alfred Tennyson. And Jesus taught a parable to convey this one important lesson for his followers, “that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).

But do we truly believe in the power of prayer? How often do we pray? Are we sincere and serious in our praying? Do we include those around us who are hurting?

 

Faithful in our commitments to others. It is always disappointing and disillusioning when someone we have counted on does not come through. It is a sad fact of life that not everyone who volunteers for a task completes it. Not everyone who says he or she will do a job actually does it. Many find reasons and excuses not to complete their commitments.

Yet life is pleasantly flavored by those who are dependable, those who fulfill what they agreed to do even when it requires unexpected sacrifices.

In 1947, a professor at the University of Chicago, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, PhD, was scheduled to teach an advanced seminar in astrophysics. At the time he was living in Wisconsin, doing research at the Yerkes Astronomical Observatory. He planned to commute twice a week for the class, even though it would be held during the harsh winter months.

But only two students signed up for the class. People expected Dr. Chandrasekhar to cancel rather than waste his time on such a small class. But for the sake of two students, he taught the class, commuting 100 miles round-trip through back-country roads in the dead of winter.

His students, Chen Ning Yang and Tsung-Dao Lee, did their homework. Ten years later, they both won the Nobel prize for physics. Dr. Chandrasekhar won the same prize in 1983. The professor demonstrated the rare and remarkable virtue of faithfulness: he could be counted on.

Finally, when we grow weary of daily responsibilities and are tempted, like Henry III, to abandon our post, it can help to review these words from the poet John Oxenham:

Is your place a small place?

Tend it with care!””

He set you there.   

Is your place a large place?

Tend it with care!””

He set you there.            

 

Whatever your place, it is

Not yours alone, but His

Who set you there.

 

 

 

Victor Parachin is an author and freelance journalist writing from Tulsa, Oklahoma. This is the seventh in his series on the fruit of the Spirit appearing throughout 2008.