Perseverance

“We have peace with God and we boast in the hope of God’s glory. But not only that! We take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” -Romans 5: 2-4 (selected)

Tired from the day at work, I sit on the couch binge watching mindless TV episodes. I know I should be working through the many chores that need doing. Gathering tax items. Sorting through the last of the boxes from the move. Preparing a sermon for pulpit supply coming up. Daily tidying of the house.

The to-do list is long, and the many responsibilities and tasks feel daunting. I wonder how I can possibly manage it all. I ask God for help, hoping God will ease my burdens.

Yet even when I turn to God for help, it seems like my workload gets piled even higher. I want to give up because it seems so difficult. I feel as if I am being swallowed up by the dark tunnel of my hardships.

In my turmoil, I question God. Why can’t God just make things easier for me? Why does life have to be so hard? Why must I endure so much on my own? And the answer came to me as a poem:

Endurance

Overwhelmed by life,

I prayed.

I waited.

I prayed again.

God did not answer.

I questioned.

I doubted.

Still, God did not answer.