More than Hanging On Part 2

Then God brings another fantastic bit of encouragement, to remind me that it's not just about focus, but who my focus is on. Here is a quote from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. This is one of my favorite devotionals, and one I keep coming back to, year after year.

"Tenacity is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen. Tenacity means more than just hanging on, which may be only exposing our fear of letting go and falling. Tenacity is the supreme effort of a man refusing to believe that his hero is going to be conquered. The greatest fear a man has is not that he will be damned, but that Jesus Christ will be worsted... Then comes the call to spiritual tenacity, not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately on the certainty that God is not going to be worsted."

I especially love that line, "hanging on... may be only exposing the fear of letting go and falling." Either I need to just let go and fall, or I need to focus on God - Who He is, and His promises - and quit focusing on my weaknesses, and the darts the enemy throws at me through other people. God is at work, even when others seem intent on wounding us. Could it even be (gasp!) that God is using those darts to drive us to Himself, or to teach us to be dependent on Him, or even (gasp again!) to discipline us because we're missing something.

We have felt a few darts lately. We're not sure why, but we've been wounded, and it's affected our heart for ministry at times. But God has called us here, and He's called us to shepherd students and their families at Lolo Community Church. Our role is to not just hang on because the alternative is... well, it's not good and it's painful - but to hang on to Him, and do everything in His strength and power.

(A big thanks to my in-laws, Gene and Barb, for the devotional. It's been almost fifteen years since you gave this book as a graduation gift to an arrogant young man that was dating your daughter, and the book's still being used, and God's still speaking through it.)