Stick With It
Stick with It
The one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works—this person will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:25)
Passion and Purpose
Any man who’s had a job he loved—one he couldn’t wait to get to every day—knows the difference that comes from being passionate about one’s work. If our job maximizes our gifts and skills, we wake up excited to see the morning start.
A second major element of a fulfilling job is being able to recognize a purpose in it. Even if we don’t particularly like what we’re doing, we can do it with integrity and commitment because we know it’s putting food on the table, providing clothes and educational expenses for our kids. The purpose makes it bearable.
Perseverance
Sometimes, however, we find ourselves doing work that elicits neither passion nor purpose. A situation like that requires every ounce of stick-to-itiveness we can muster up. All we can do, if we desire to stay faithful, is to persevere, stay true to the course, employing the spiritual strengths of discipline and self-control.
In the movie Standing Firm, writer/producer Kyle Prohaska created a character named Steven, a young man who prays for and witnesses to his father for a long time before seeing any hope of positive results. He stays disciplined and focused; he perseveres. We, too, must often keep giving our best even when our work draws nothing out of us. It’s a matter of faith, patience, and trust.
Bottom Line
When you feel no passion and see no purpose, demonstrate discipline by prayerfully persevering in the situations that challenge you.