Persistence

For years there has been a piece of ledge sticking up in my son's driveway. It was high enough to catch the oil plan on a car going out that side of the circular drive even on our van. I decided it was time for it to go. I bought a grub ax with a pick ax on the other end, and my son had a maul for splitting wood with a sledge hammer end. I began by picking around the edges with the pointed end and then began to attack the rock. At first it seemed like each strike just bounced off with no effect. Some of the weaker edges moved but the rock seemed unmovable. Over two days I kept hitting the rock and slowly cracks began to appear and then major fractures and then the rock was gone at least well below ground level. I used the pieces of rock to fill in other areas where fill was needed and now we don't have to worry about the obstacle in the driveway. I could have quit and seen the rock as impossible when the first strikes bounced off but I knew they were having an effect even when I could not see the result. I had faith that the accumulation of hammer strikes would eventually eliminate the obstacle.

I don't know how many people including myself that I have told to attack a problem one little piece at a time. So often people sitting in my office would see the whole spectrum of life issues in front of them and be paralyzed by the sight. They act as if the rock could be splintered by one swing. I would say what little piece can you handle today. Then what little piece can you handle tomorrow and so forth. That's like knowing that each strike with the hammer was having a positive impact even if not seen. Being overwhelmed helps to accomplish nothing. Accomplishing something reduces the burden even if at the moment that little piece seems inconsequential. Persistence solves problems. Even our faith journey is a matter of persistence. I often point to the word seek used in scripture because in the original languages it means something like a well worn path. Seek means a well worn path like the bald path in my parents yard that we kids always took to our friends house. We think it means I seek now and it's all done now, but God means be persistent in your relationship with me and everything else will take care of itself.

Especially at times of rapid change in our lives we look for the quick fix. We are often too impatient to wait on the Lord or to attack the situation with little persistent choices. I broke the rock in my sons yard, but the eternal rock is my resting place and my persistent help in all my times of trouble.