Why Courage Looks a Whole Lot Like Perseverance

She sat across the desk from me, battle worn and weary.  Struggling with her weight was long and tiring and the journey ahead looked like more of the same.

She was getting sick of it.

Weight loss can feel that way, be that way.  In my years as a diet coach I’ve seen it more times than I can count.  Same doctor’s office, same desk, new patient, same struggle.  Things start off with a bang, but somewhere in the middle, when the newness wears off, when the pounds cling tight and there is still what feels like a long way to go – it gets hard. Really hard.

I wanted to tell her it gets easier.  My Pollyanna heart wanted to tell her that it’s just a few pounds and we’ll reach the promise land of thinner and healthier and not fighting food battles every time your stomach growls.

But the truth is, it doesn’t.  It doesn’t.

Lose the weight. Fight that battle and win it and guess what?  You get to keep fighting.  You get to fight to maintain.  You get to fight to not overdo it during the holidays, at weddings, at restaurants.  You get to fight to reign it in when things get off track, before 5 pounds becomes 25.  For most of the adult world, save those few who have crazy metabolisms, we get to fight the rest of our lives to maintain our health and our weight.

Do you know what kind of courage that takes, what kind of perseverance?

A few weeks ago I was championing this mama job of mine.  I had implemented a new chore strategy that was firing on all cylinders.  My kids were motivated and helpful.  Those never ending housekeeping tasks were getting done on schedule and the house was clean. I nearly wanted to put a sign out in the front yard that read “Unexpected company, come on by because this girl is ready for you!”

And then we threw caution to the wind and took a last minute trip out of town for a few days. I returned home with sick kids, all sniffles and sneezes and not the least bit interested in my fabulous new chore strategy.  Committed to generosity and sharing, we kindly spread the sickness evenly throughout our home leveling one kid after another and by the time everyone recovered we had completely lost any semblance of a schedule, a routine, or a chore strategy.

Homeschool fell through the cracks as recovery came slow and I moped in frustration a bit as I struggled to reign in all it, piece it back together.  I was on top of this all just two short weeks ago and now I was struggling to restore the slightest bit of order.  How does that happen so quickly?

And then I saw it.  I was no different than the struggling dieter I’ve been coaching at the clinic.

Running my home well is more about perseverance than implementing an effective new chore strategy.  Those bumps in the road that shake up the schedule are guaranteed to keep happening in one form or another.  My ability to thrive among the challenges, to keep going when it all blows up and gets messy, to be faithful even when it’s mundane, that place right there is what perseverance looks like.

And my marriage is no different.  And friendships are no different.  All those tricky and complicated relationships, they are no different.  They require committed, consistent, and continual faithfulness.  Not just when it’s fun or when the sun is shining, but when it’s cloudy and boring and long.

Persevering takes every bit as much courage as diving in does, maybe even more, because the newness has worn off, the momentum is gone and all that is left is a foundational dedication to why we are committed in the first place.  Even when it’s hard, even when it’s tiring and even when there is no end in sight.

But my family is worth that.  My marriage is worth that.  Friendships and health, they are worth it.

More often than not, friends, courage looks a whole lot like faithfulness.

Steadfast in struggle, determined in difficulty, when life gets hard and messy may we bravely choose perseverance.  I’m choosing it right along with you.