Perseverance -
(noun) steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. Theology . continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation
"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4
Hope. Perseverance creates hope. For our family, this word encompasses our everyday. Each day we face many challenges. We are thankful that most days we only have to deal with the ones we already know. By grace and and faith we will persevere whatever shall come our way, because He has already overcome the world. Continuance in a state of grace...
Through the first two surgeries Liam faced, I was naive to think that once he had his repair surgery, everything would be fixed. We would have several years before he would have to have his final conduit placed, and between that time his feeding issues would disappear and everything would be normal for us....finally, a normalcy I had longed for. I put my hope in that repair surgery, lacquered it with expectations and looked forward to a new future without worries of heart problems. When October 26, 2010 rolled around, we were in for a suprise. Our routine cardiology visit turned into a nightmare when the echo showed something was wrong. It felt like our bad dream rewound and started over from the beginning. All those hopes and expectations replaced again suddenly by worries and fear. That was the day I realized my expectations and dreams for our family would never be the same.
You see, there is no "fix", no magic cure for CHD's. Yes, we have surgical intervention to correct issues, but nothing is for certain. What works for some children may not for others. And, with surgery comes a host of complications in itself.
Yet, we stay the course. We follow protocol, obey doctors orders, seek advice and keep on keeping on. How? Because we persevere. And we persevere because we love. I know our sufferings are not in vain because I know who I serve. A loving God, who sent His only Son to die for me. Love in it's perfect state.
"(Love) Always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:7
Well said, Tara. Its hard to describe to someone that isn't experiencing it. Thanks for putting this into words so well. The verse from Romans is perfect.
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