Goals Are Achievable With Dedication, Effort, & Perseverance – & With Jesus

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’ (James 1:4); ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’ (Hebrews 13:8)

I had been in the corporate world most of my adult life, transitioning from a customer-facing representative to a supervisor of tens, then a manager of hundreds, then a program support manager almost completely immune from the customer base (and with no personnel to lead) before retiring (oh happy day!). Taking initiative to resolve a problem or to lay in a course of action requires one to be consistent yet resilient; the goals to achieve have obstacles that have to be navigated, and in achieving the goal sometimes it takes patience to allow the obstacles to melt away, sometimes it takes a sledgehammer to break obstacles down immediately.

This may be hard for some of you to believe, though I have the ‘gift of gab’ I am mostly a listener and not always a commentator, which can be a good thing so as not to draw too much attention.  When I have to speak up or respond I accept my culpability as written in stone (or on record on YouTube or in the Word-of-the-Day).  That can be intimidating; however, I am not one to be a shrinking violet, so I stand by what I write or convey, even if it ties me to what seems to be a sinking ship. But most of the time, what seems to be folly, like staying on a ship that appears to be sinking, can become a triumph with dedication, effort, and perseverance when that ship reaches port (sometimes to the chagrin of others who do not have Faith but doubt).

It is always better to stick to your guns and say your peace (in a respectable way with a modicum of social and political polish to ensure its consumed as pablum, of course) than to say what others want to hear when you know it’s incorrect, as in the long run it will usually lead to failure. In any effort it is a lot easier at the beginning to do this than in the middle or the end, when time, money, resources and effort are fully invested into the endeavor.  There is importance in being consistent; for credibility and understanding.  This is true in both secular life as well as your Spiritual walk.

To persevere, one needs to be consistent in their morals and beliefs.  Morals and beliefs should not be based on feelings that can lead astray but be based on facts.  The perseverance in James comes from Faith and in living like our Lord Jesus, who is the epitome of consistency as highlighted in Hebrews 13:8.  Jesus did not compromise His standards for anyone in any situation, but stood his ground for the Father and for Righteousness. 

This did not mean Jesus was obtuse or obnoxious in his conveyance of His standards toward others, especially those sinners who He met.  Jesus talked with respect to the Samaritan woman at the well, and to the Samaritan He encountered on the eastern bank of the Galilee.  The only recorded times Jesus expressed anger was with the fig tree that did not produce fruit (Matthew 21:19), and with the moneychangers in the temple courtyard (John 2:14-15).  Both times Jesus was consistent with Himself, angry in Righteousness to correct blatantly sinful or amoral actions that were inconsistent in nature.  A fig tree should have fruit, the moneychangers should not have been in the courtyard, but people may not always understand or know that they are in sin.  The message Jesus provides is consistent, even when the actions to convey the message may be different. 

Be like Jesus; be consistent in all that you do.  Know when to wait for obstacles to melt, or when the obstacle needs the sledgehammer treatment. If needing change, ensure basing the change on righteousness and in accordance to the Lord’s will.