Perseverance

Perseverance

Monday, May 18

Last week a woman shared with me how difficult her life was during this time.  She is a college professor who has been teaching her classes online from her bedroom.  She has children in elementary school who are home full time.  Her husband was in the hospital, where she was unable to visit him.  She hasn’t been able to sleep.  As we zoomed our conversation, she pointed to the laundry baskets piled up behind her, asking “When does life get easier?”

            A man who is a full-time musician is now at home watching three small children while his wife continues to work.  Two months ago, all of his weekends from April – November were booked with events. Now everything is cancelled.  How will he support his family?

            A couple has devoted their entire life to running a successful catering company.  Now every wedding, business party, and celebration is cancelled for an undetermined number of months into the future.  Employees are laid off, clients want their money back, site deposits are non-refundable, and thousands of dollars of food sit in their freezers.  Will they be able to recover from this?

            Life can be very difficult.   For many of us, it’s tough right now.  You might be working long hours; you may have lost your job; you might be grieving the loss of someone you love dearly; you might be worried about someone who is ill.   There are so many difficulties coming our way that we might wonder, “I didn’t ask for this; who signed me up for this life?  It’s a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.”

            Our pandemic has impacted our lives for only five months.  But we want it to be over, to end now and for everything go back to normal.  Nobody wants to hear that there may be a second and third wave of infection or that a vaccine will take four or five years to create.  But history tell us that this virus may be around a long time. How will we endure it?

            Jesus understood this.  He talked about a world where nations were at war, where there were earthquakes, famines, typhoons, and death.  He experienced friends and family turning against him. But in the end, He said, “Not a hair on your head will be destroyed.  By your perseverance you will secure your life.” And in the book of Hebrews, it says, “Run the race with perseverance, keep your eyes on Jesus and do not grow weary or lose heart.”

            Perseverance is a spiritual skill.  It comes to us because we have suffered life’s hardships, and we have overcome them.  We have learned how to go without sleep, how to survive on less money, how to make friends and ask for help, and how to trust God with everything. Perseverance comes to us when we understand that we can do these things:

        1.  We can change our expectation of what our life is supposed to be like.  Perhaps we will not have the material goods we expected to have, or perhaps the wealth we have is here for us to share. Someone close to us may be very ill or die. Life may be different than we imagined. Accepting life on life’s terms, we allow ourselves to live each day as it comes rather than waiting for a future time.

            2.  We remember who we are.  If I am a healer, I will put in the long hours at the hospital.  If I am a teacher, I will deal with the frustrations of teaching online. If I am a parent, I will seek to ease the stress my children are feeling.  If I am a child of God, I will trust in his teaching not to worry and live in the present moment, mindful of the beauty around me.

            3. We know that God is with us.  Jesus does not take away our suffering, but he does walk through life with us. Jesus persevered in his own life through rejection, betrayal, persecution, physical pain, scorn, and death.  And then he rose.  He rose above all the pain, all the heartache, all the loneliness. He persevered, and in doing so, he revealed the truth to us – that we will rise again after this suffering. Nothing can separate us from the love of God – not even death.

            In the message below, Jesus tells us in his own words, how present he is to us. “Together we rise each day,”  he tell us.  Jesus is present and gentle with us, “I speak in a tone that rises like a meadow at daybreak.”  Listen closely to his words…listen with your heart…feel the message they convey.  Notice how often he tell us to rise.  Feel the power of his word Together. Understand the meaning of the images he uses…the robin, the goldfinch, the flower….

Let Jesus guide you.  He is walking with you. He is here in this moment. He is with you now.

Listen to today’s message here.

22 Comments

    Brian ONeill

    Dear Mary, thank you for your deep and thoughtful reflections on this message. It is so easy to forget that we are never really lost, alone, or abandoned, when it comes to a relationship with divine love. Together we rise. OX

    Sarah Brownell

    Maybe this is why Myles Horton’s autobiography is called “The Long Haul” and Dorothy Day’s book is called “The Long Loneliness”. Many inspirational heroes have suffered long periods of difficulties in life. Mandela, for example, served 27 years in prison…But they persevered and rose.

      Mary Ramerman Author

      Sarah, thank you for remembering those long journeys of people who inspire us. It is hard to think of our own life as one that will be meaningful to others. Would it change our experience of suffering during this time if we did? Would it help us to persevere?

    Judene

    Thank you again and again, Mary and Brian, for these meditations. They bring me so much comfort and peace of mind and spirit. I am so grateful that you are sharing them with us. <3

    Mary Ramerman Author

    Judene, I am so glad that these are bringing you comfort. I believe whenever we are praying together, we open up our spirits to a peace way bigger than ourselves. I’m grateful we are meditating together. Love, Mary

    Karen Batsford

    I appreciate the time and effort you take to inspire us with your daily blogs, Reverend Mary. They are one of my spiritual anchors at this time. Via Zoom, my Small Christian Community met yesterday and I recommended your blog to the group members who haven’t checked them out yet.

    I pray for all the staff at Spiritus frequently. You have all risen to demonstrate leadership that is stronger than ever.

    Sincerely,
    Karen Batsford

      Mary Ramerman Author

      Karen, writing the blogs has been a gift for me. I love being able to connect with you and others who are reading it, I love to hear your reflections and thoughts. Thank you for praying for the Spiritus staff.
      Love, Mary

    Diane Seebach

    That was a beautiful message to all who may be suffering and struggling through this period in time. I pray every day for all those who are struggling that God my bless them with His graces to give them strength. I feel so blessed that I am not struggling through this. I am well and healthy. I am safe. I have all that I need to be content. As is my family. I thank God every morning during my prayers and meditation for this gift He has given me and my family. Be well… God bless you this day.

      Mary Ramerman Author

      Diane, Thank you for sharing how you are praying for others. I think praying for those who are struggling during this time is an amazing gift. I know how I felt in difficult times when someone told me they were praying daily for me. I could feel the additional strength. It meant so much to me.
      Love, Mary

    Colleen Fox-Salah

    What a powerful message. Thank you. I am finding that I cope with what’s happening by labeling it as temporary. And I have fully acknowledged that it will be a long temporary given what the experts aren’t saying and are trying to say at the same time.

    Your entry makes me face that this time could very well be a before and after moment. An era. A chapter in a textbook and not a blurb. I don’t let myself go there often because that invites the terror that accompanies the unknown, that it is now impossible to imagine what the rest of my life will look like, what my children’s lives will look like.

    I devoted much energy towards growing more and more consciously grateful for what my constituted my life, yet it turns out I still took so much for granted. As simple as I made my life, there are still things I will miss. Like libraries. I don’t know how I’ll function without libraries. This is safe place to start acknowledging the cascade of losses we are all sure to face.

    This could be the rest of my life. Going within always felt like a choice, and I was proud of myself for making that choice consistently. “Together we build your life.” It was never just about me and my choices, was it? I cling to this now for dear life. May all of my defenses dissolve while I still “keep all that is carried only of love and only of heart, and only of my light.”

      Mary Ramerman Author

      Dear Colleen,
      I continue to be surprised by how many things I took for granted…I didn’t even know I was taking them for granted! I think God is very present now that we have slowed down enough to listen. I have so much to learn. Love, Mary

      Mary Ramerman Author

      Arlene, Thank you for reading the meditations and praying with us every day. We love writing this.

    Sarah Brownell

    I think there is definitely mourning that will accompany this and our losses. I try to remember that this may finally be the moment that the world is waking up to the idea that the way we’ve been doing things must change–for the sake of our planet and our co-inhabitants and ourselves. Still, those time periods of dramatic change in the past seem short when you look back on them from history, but I’m sure they felt pretty long while they were being lived in real time. There will be many things to celebrate about the new way of living…we just can’t see them yet.

    Sally Partner

    Thank you for this beautiful reflection, and the reminder of the importance of perseverance. I agree with Sarah and others that much good may come from this time and experience, but that doesn’t change the difficult reality so many are facing now. Remembering that Jesus is walking with us gives great comfort. In my case, I am quite fortunate within this challenging time, and this message helps me to be able to remain grateful, manage frustration, and able to help family and friends as we all travel this unknown path together.

      Mary Ramerman Author

      Sally, thank you for sharing your thoughts. They inspired my Wednesday post!

    Diane Seebach

    Even though I pray and meditate for 45 min – 1 hr every morning, your meditations are enhancing my thoughts that carry me through the day. Love, Diane

      Mary Ramerman Author

      That’s a wonderful practice you have every morning. I’m glad we could add to it.
      Love, Mary

    Debi Grayson

    Thank you, Mary. During this pandemic it is so important to be reminded of our power to preserve. This helped calm me today. So many days are still full of anxiety and uncertainty for me. Thank you for your words of wisdom and love. 💞

      Mary Ramerman Author

      I hear you that this is an uncertain time. We will make it through…together!

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