Hanging in there is tough...

Galatians 6 :19 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at just the right time we shall reap a harvest, if we do not give up."

When I turned 40, I celebrated five years of being cancer-free by entering the Seal Beach Triathlon.  I was not (am not) a highly competitive athlete, but I had been running and biking regularly, and I swam the distance between the jetty and the pier a couple of times to make sure I could do it.  Race day came and I plunged into the ocean, being pummeled by the elbows and feet of 600 other competitors.  When I finally emerged from the waves, there wasn't much of a crowd...just me and a dozen or so others.  I transitioned to the bike for a 20K ride, passed a few people, and got to the starting line for the 10K run.  Dismounting from the bike, I nearly collapsed - my legs felt like spaghetti.  It took everything in me to put one foot in front of the other, but I finally settled into a pace that I felt I could maintain.  Eventually (2 hrs. 20 min.) I crossed the finish line, falling into the arms of my wife.  What kept me going?  Why didn't I just quit?  Two things: My wife was cheering me on and I wanted her to be proud of me; I had committed to do this and I wanted to prove to myself that I could.

These days, when occasionally I get really tired, and nothing I do seems to make a difference, it is easy to become discouraged, to want to "throw in the towel".  God says to "hang in there", not lose my grip, persist in doing good even when I don't see results.  At just the right time, He will lift us up (see 1 Pet 5:6), we will reap a harvest, we'll see what He has been doing through us all along (even when we didn't think anything was happening).  Think about it...Jesus hung in there (literally) for us.  I want to do the same for Him; I want to make Him proud.

Lord, I know You see the end from the beginning.  You know what You are accomplishing in and through me, even when I see no results.  Please help me to faithfully trust You today.