Persisting

Persisting

Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.  Matthew 6:32-33

My thirteen-year-old daughter happily eats a variety of foods. Cheese, Bologna, tortillas, stir-fry, broccoli, chicken, rice, salami, shrimp, pickles, peppers—you name it, and she will eat it. But she draws the line when it comes to spinach, scrunching up her face and looking for an opportunity to dump it into the disposal when she thinks her mother isn’t looking. Last night Luci decided to spice up this odious vegetable with a little hot sauce. The combination was so successful that she surprised me by asking for seconds!

Why am I telling you about my daughter’s conversion to spinach? Only because it illustrates the power of persistence. It took repeated tries for Luci to discover the breakthrough that would make eating spinach delightful. It can be like that in our search for peace. We have to keep persevering, especially when it comes to turning away from our natural desires and staying faithful to the teachings of Christ. Jesus says:

“If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also.” (Luke 6:29)
“Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:44)
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.” (Matthew 7:1)
“Don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’” (Matthew 6:31)
“I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.” (Matthew 21:21)

When it comes to God’s peace, Jesus asks so much, but he also delivers so much. Let’s continue to follow him, trusting that as we do, he will work even deeper levels of shalom into our lives.

Lord, thank you for not only telling me the way to live but for showing me how. Make me like you, I pray.