Persevering faith

Daily Reading: James 1, 2, 3

James 1:2-4 (NIV)

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Good evening!

I’ve been thinking a lot about my father this week. Had he lived, Ben would have been eighty four years old on December 14^th. He grew up on a farm in Central Missouri, and learned how to hunt and fish at a young age. Dad absolutely loved being outdoors in every kind of weather. The cold never bothered him, and extreme heat seemed to roll off his back like tiny beads of sweat forming across his brow. I think of him often, especially at this time of year, because he seemed happiest in the cold, snowy winters of life. It was nothing for him to put on a pair of thermal long johns, a hunting vest, and stand knee-deep in a foot of fresh snow, just to enjoy a deer hunt with his brothers. I’m not surprised the Lord came to take him to his heavenly home as he was standing outside in his back yard one cold, January night in a short-sleeved shirt, admiring the new fallen snow.

Ben was born very prematurely in the farm house where he and his siblings grew up together. Dad was so tiny that my grandmother made a cradle for him out of a large shoe box and warmed his tiny frame by the wood-burning stove in the kitchen. Grandmother’s midwife didn’t think that child would survive the night, but Ben was tough little guy and became quite the scrapper growing up.

Dad knew a lot about perseverance simply from learning how to survive. He fought hard to overcome adversity in his childhood, and worked even harder to find his place in the world. Dad received an eighth grade education. After serving in the Marines during World War II, he went to work for a local Union on construction teams, wiring buildings and running plumbing lines. His parents didn’t go to church. Their world revolved around survival during the deep Depression. Everything they had to live on, hinged upon the success of their family’s farm, and they invested seven days a week there. Dad to recognize the voice of God through time spent in the great outdoors. Whenever Ben struggled with a broken heart, he would take refuge in the woods. Dad felt much more comfortable with the Lord outside, than inside the church’s walls. He went to church with my mother, because she insisted upon it. One of his very first corporate worship experiences occurred at his own wedding in Brookhaven, Mississippi, on December 5, 1945. He learned to appreciate the benefit of corporate worship, but refused to go to Sunday school with our family. Ben found quiet ways to serve the Lord by providing free electrical service for the church and parsonage. The testing of my father’s faith revolved around his life experiences. He would have been the first one to admit that he did not understand the Bible. Yet, even in his confusion and fear, Ben found himself able to trust in the One who created such an incredible world.

I stood at the picture window this evening, looking out into the snowy hue, and I couldn’t help but remember how my father would stand at the front door of my childhood home, gazing out into the white winter’s night. There was a longing in his eyes for something more, a deep desire to experience God’s greatness at a deeper level. Perseverance through tough times can help us become mature and complete, not lacking for anything. Dad’s life example illustrates a deep soul’s desire to become mature and complete in faith. On the day Ben passed from his earthly journey into eternity, his longing was fulfilled. All of the questions he held inside were answered by the Father in the new-fallen snow that night.

Just like my dad, my soul longs to one day be mature and complete, not lacking anything in faith. Perseverance through the difficult moments of life is a true testimony of God’s grace in our lives. I may not understand why things happen the way they do, but one thing I know for certain is that we are loved by the Savior who understands perseverance through trials. He came into this world on a cold winter’s night, inside a dark and dirty stable, with only the starlight to illuminate his arrival. Mary placed the tiny baby on a bed of hay and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, just to keep him safe and warm.

We have an opportunity to become mature and complete, especially in the wintertime of our lives. God reveals Himself to each and every one of us in different and unique ways. May we learn from the testing of our faith, as we walk with Jesus Christ each day. Learning to persevere through the tough times is a very good thing. I think I’ll go outside and stand for a little while in the beautiful snow. I have no doubt I will find my Father there.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: pure joy! It comes through the testing of our faith, which brings perseverance, and perseverance must finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. May we find His perfect, pure joy, as we learn how to persevere in the storm.

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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding

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