Persevere
“Blessed is (s)he who perseveres in temptation,”
Temptation sucks. It just sucks in every area, but I find it SO difficult to resist temptation in the area of speech. I love to talk, and unfortunately, not everything that comes out of my mouth is good, true, or beautiful. When I get frustrated or annoyed, I’m tempted to let my words fly out of control. Pretty much every day, I’m tempted, oh so tempted, to tell people what I really think.
Most of the time, I’m dying to tell someone about what ‘she’ said or what ‘he’ did because I have a real gift for complaining. I look around me and see the way that almost everything could be better, and it annoys me. And I want to TELL someone what’s bouncing around in my brain. But that’s not necessary. And it’s not making me holier - or anyone around me.
Persevering in temptation isn’t just about you.
When I let my tongue run wild, it doesn’t just impact me - it impacts the people around me. When I share something that’s not true, good, or beautiful, I’m not just hurting myself - but also the people I’m talking to and the people I’m talking about. It’s hard, but it’s true: it’s selfish of me to complain or criticize or ‘vent’ excessively. I need to set my mind and my heart and my thoughts on higher things - to set my mind on Christ and let Him refine me.
I need Christ’s strength to persevere in resisting temptation. I need Him to refine me so that I don’t get swallowed up by frustration or disappointment or annoyance. I need Him to teach me how to persevere in bringing light, joy, and hope to each and every conversation I have - even the hard ones. Sisters, I need Jesus to refine me because my perseverance isn’t just about me. My perseverance is about showing each person I connect with that God is alive by the words that use and the way that I live my life - no matter the situation.
Father,
Thank You for showing me all the ways that I’ve yet to master Your ways. Thank You for being merciful and patient as I learn how to live like Jesus did. Thank You for offering me opportunity after opportunity to get it right and to do better.
God, refine me. Teach me how to be like You. Show me the way forward. Please take all the weakness and the bad to replace it with grace and goodness.
God, we love You. Show us how to be like You in all things. Amen.