How Love And Perseverance Help You Overcome Any Challenge
From the Archives:
July 27, 2024
As I reflected on the productivity workshop I facilitated at the iconic Busboys and Poets, I was reminded of a sermon I heard years ago:
“Love, like water, always finds a way.”
Dr. David Anderson, Founder & Senior Pastor, Bridgeway Community Church, Columbia, MD
Too long, didn’t read (TLDR): Would you prefer to watch or listen to the reflection? Check out this short 4-minute video with my thoughts on this blog post reminding you how like love, you’ll always find your way, too. Watch it here.
Our bodies are 70% water and we were made to always find a way. And when we lead with love, we will always find our way.
Pause to Reflect
What’s one area in your life where you’ve felt like water—persistent, patient, and unstoppable? Maybe it’s been navigating a challenging relationship, pursuing a dream that feels out of reach, or simply trying to keep faith in a tough season. Wherever you are, remember: Love, like water, always finds a way.
That’s been my life story about weight loss. I chose to spend more time loving and caring for myself and less time pleasing other people. Like water powerful enough to forge through rock with time and perseverance, we will inevitably achieve our goals and (God-given) visions when we continue to navigate the currents of time and the challenges of life with purpose, determination and above all, perseverance. Have you seen the Grand Canyon?!
Actually, thanks to Facebook memories, I now know it was 11 years ago today that I heard this message although it doesn’t seem like nearly so long ago:
Love, like water, always finds a way.
Why am I mentioning time? Because sometimes we don’t feel like time is moving quickly at all so we don’t do the work we want to do. And then one day, we wake up and we realize how much time has passed us by and so quickly!
Life– time!– is fragile. We all know we’re going to die, but that doesn’t make the loss of life any less painful. I know a few people who’ve had or know of someone who had a miscarriage or lost their babies. My good friend Lakia died at 33 years old. Conversely, my grandmother is a very healthy 101 years old. (You can watch her in action as she pinned me at my nursing school graduation last year on my Instagram.)
I recognize now more than ever that aging isn’t a right, it’s an honor and a privilege. And if we don”t don’t pay attention, we’ll blink and it’ll be December 2023 and then 2024, and then 2025 and 2030 and then 2070.
So even if you didn’t get started on your big hairy audacious goal yet, the best time to get started is now. It’s to take one small step today. Not tomorrow.
One of the biggest lies ever told is that we need to hurry or hustle or that we can start “tomorrow”. According to Parkinson’s law, we’ll take however much time we allow ourselves to accomplish a goal. If you give yourself a year, it’ll take a year. If you give yourself a day, you’ll make it happen in a day! So I challenge you to get started now. To pay more attention to how you use your time. Yes, audit your time!
This is the time recorder I used to start recording my time and oh bayby, this has made me exceptionally more productive in less than a week because I simply notice– without judgment or criticism!– how I spend my time. I’m productive because I’m more intentional. Using tools like a time recorder is just one way I’ve honored the time God has given me. By becoming more intentional about how I spend each day, I’ve aligned my actions with His purpose for my life. It’s a small, simple step—but it’s one that keeps me flowing, like water, toward the goals and visions He’s placed in my heart. I’m getting more done that I want to get done and spending less time mindlessly scrolling on social media, streaming on Netflix, Hulu or Peacock (lawd ah mercy!) or regularly having 3 hour long phone convos (this is a judgment free zone!)!
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
(Matthew 6:34)
“Love, like water, always finds a way.” May you always remember that you’re 70% water and may you continue to find your way.
Picture this
Water carving through rock over time, shaping valleys and creating breathtaking landmarks like the Grand Canyon. That’s what love and perseverance do in our lives. They shape the seemingly unchangeable, creating beauty where once there was resistance. What ‘stone’ in your life is love helping you shape today? Take heart: the process may be slow, but the outcome is worth it.
(Didn’t watch the video posted in the TLDR but now you’re interested but don’t wanna scroll back up? I gotchu! Watch it here.)
And in case you needed a loving nudge to get started taday and not tamorrow, here are two translations of a passage on persevering through challenges:
Faith Under Pressure
James 1:2-4 MSG
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
Trials and Temptations
James 1:2-4 NIV
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
It gets uncomfortable to persevere, but when we do, we win! It’s because of the lessons I learned through persevering in my most challenging times of accomplishing my “impossibles” with God that I continue onward. Like when I lost 100 pounds (45 kgs) or persevered through nursing school despite all the discrimination. (Check back for a future post about how challenges are actually fun! I might even Blerd out and weave in a lil neuroscience or the Japanese construct of Ikigai which contributes to the longevity of centenarians in Okinawa, Japan. Drop a comment to let me know you’re interested!)
I’ll end with these passages:
5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:5-8 NIV & 12 NIV & MSG
12 Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.
As you move forward, may you be reminded today that God has equipped you with all you need to navigate life’s inevitable challenges. Lead with love. Persevere with faith. And trust His divine timing. You are 70% water and 100% capable of finding your way.
A Prayer for Strength, Faith, and Victory Through God’s Grace
Heavenly Father and Divine Mother, as we move forward, remind us that You have equipped us with all we need to face life’s challenges. Help us lead with love, persevere with faith, and trust Your perfect timing. There is nothing we cannot accomplish when we flow in God’s grace. May we flow, knowing that through You, we are capable of finding our way. You created us 70% water and made us 100% capable, because with You, all things are possible. With You, nothing is impossible. With You, we are victorious. And so it is. It’s aaaaalready done! Amen.
