All the Ways You Persevere

Today in church, the pastor remarks that God makes us dwell in dark places, and one of the reasons is to learn perseverance.

How true! I look back at those dark places and realize I did learn perseverance. Perseverance doesn't end with itself; it leads to character and then hope. All those difficult things were a stepping stone to hope.

And hope is so beautiful.

I want to think more about all the ways God is asking me to persevere today instead of hating whatever difficult circumstances come my way. On this very day, I'm persevering through weight loss challenges, a sassy little one, writing rejections, the day-to-day work of keeping a home, and various others situations with friends and colleagues. What's required?  Perseverance through God's power.

My character's growing. My hope is rising. 

I want to say that I persevered. Today my husband and I celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. We've persevered through so many things that, looking back, we actually cherish those difficulties for what we've learned and how we grew together. We never gave up.

Teach me to persevere, Lord. Help me rise up out of myself to embrace any dark place. Make me strong, full of good character, and overflowing with hope.

___________________________
How else can we learn perseverance except through difficulty? I'm not sure there is another way!