Perseverance in the Face of Obstacles

“Size” is relative. The smaller we are, the larger everything else appears.

Years ago, during a visit to my childhood church, I gazed in amazement at how tiny the classrooms were. I didn’t remember them being that small when I was eight years old! Basketball nets appear to have become shorter, too. Trying to shoot a basketball in fifth grade seemed impossible—I might as well have been aiming at the top of a building. What a difference a few years—and a few inches in height—can make!

I was reminded of this concept of relativity as I flipped through an old photo album documenting our adoption of two boxer puppies. Taken from their mother way too early, they were brought to the Humane Society. The pups won our hearts, and we brought home the five-week-old siblings to foster before eventually adopting them. This brother and sister spent their first week with us wobbling around on shaky legs as they explored their new world. Of course, for the first couple of days, that world was restricted to their crate. Then an entire room. Finally, we carried them outside.

They stumbled, fell, and struggled to regain their balance before falling again. Thankfully, the soft grass cushioned their tumbles. After a few days of exploring the area outside our front door, they grew more confident in their footing. They even attempted to follow us back into the house instead of being carried. But an obstacle blocked their way. To get to our front porch, they had to negotiate a six-inch step—not a problem for me, but when you’re eight inches tall, a six-inch step is huge!

That’s when the real fun began. These pups were determined to conquer that step. They tried and failed and tried again, until…they did it. Puppy perseverance won out.

While that step wasn’t a problem for me, other things certainly are. Obstacles that impede my way and cause me grief. Situations that make me want to give up because they’re just too big for me to deal with. Then I remember who I belong to: the Lord is El Elyon, the Most High God. Nothing is too big for Him to handle in the physical or the spiritual realm. By the power of His Holy Spirit, I’m able to maintain hope, persevere, and trust that if I cannot move forward, it’s because He has a better way for me.

As we move into a new year, what obstacles are impeding your way? How does knowing you belong to El Elyon help you develop resilience and perseverance to follow His leading?