Perseverance

Has it ever occurred to you that nothing new has ever occurred to God? We can take comfort in the knowledge that God has no new revelations, no sudden insights, no lapses in attention or judgment. God is aware of all that is before us and encourages us, through scripture, to stand fast, to persevere in the one mainstay of our lives—our faith.

There was a stowaway aboard Ernest Shackleton’s ship. Eighteen-year-old Perce Blackborow hid onboard the Endurance for three days before being discovered at sea. Shackleton was outraged at the young man’s presence and scolded him vigorously before declaring that on such expeditions, stowaways were the first ones eaten should the crew fall on hard times. Blackborow retorted good naturedly, “They’d get a lot more meat off you, sir,” and won the famous explorer over.* The young man not only became a valued member of the crew, he was given the honor of being the first one to embark onto dry land on the crew’s way to being saved. When the time came, he was awarded the Polar Expedition Medal along with “legitimate” crew members. He was no longer a stowaway.

It takes courage to grow. It takes courage to continue in the face of defeat or rebuke. It takes determination to imagine yourself other than what you’ve always been. As Christians we are continuously encouraged to grow and evolve in our faith. We have never “arrived.” There’s always room to stretch and expand our lives in Christ.

*Roland Huntford, Shackleton (New York: Carroll and Graf Publishers, 1998), 384.