On a hike with family a couple of weekends ago, we summitted Lily Mountain. Looking west one can see Estes Cone and behind it, the notch near the 14,254 summit of Longs Peak.  Summiting each one of these mountains takes perseverance! But right there in the foreground of this photo is a fledgling Ponderosa Pine, growing itself up from a tiny patch of soil surrounded by solid granite rock…talk about perseverance!!!

I am attracted to glimpses of perseverance…in nature, in the animal kingdom, in the human journey. It encourages me to fight for a better life now and a better life in the future. I say to myself, ‘if that tree, if that abused dog, if that broken human can do it…so can I!’  For the most part of my life, my desire to persevere has served me well. Occasionally, it has kept me stuck when it was truly time to change direction.  But how do we know when to persevere and when to let go?

Most would say a tree doesn’t have a ‘will’ to exercise towards perseverance, others would argue a wounded animal could have a ‘will’ to persevere, and most people would agree the broken human can access the determination and  direction in life to ‘gut it out’ when needed.

Call it my Irish stubbornness, my German tenacity or my God-given desires…I love to experience the results of mine and others perseverance. How about you…

• Who’s perseverance has been an encouragement to you in your life?
• What stories of perseverance from your life have been an encouragement to others?
• How do you know when to persevere and when to let go?