An Enduring & Persevering Light

An Enduring & Persevering Light

I’m blessed to have God’s light in my heart to endure and persevere for my light to shine through any celebration or pain.

2 Timothy 2:12

If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines endure as the ability to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding. The dictionary defines perseverance as a continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.

To be strong in grace one will continue to move from comfort to challenge to comfort throughout a lifetime.

A year ago I was baptized at Hope Church in Burlington, North Carolina. I actually was baptized at the age of eleven in an Episcopal Church. As a child I believe I understood what was taking place, however, as I got older I drifted further and further away from God.

I think I drifted because I got caught up in being dramatic and reactive about life’s trials and tribulations. Now I go to God daily, sometimes there is a response and sometimes I’m reminded to be patient with God’s timing. Through past suffering I needed to continue to strive forward despite any failures. I needed to find God in the present situation and not rely on my own understanding.

God has a plan.

Finding my faith, having hope and knowing that God’s love is long lasting is what gives me strength on a daily basis (even on days when my faith may be small). God’s love awakened me to do the work of Jesus. To be love and reflect God’s light.

I have learned to understand that there is no human who can fulfill everything that I need and who will always be there for me during this worldly time on Earth. I will have communities of people to love and who will love me, however, it is not fair to place that responsibility on any human being. God is there for that.

Many times as a young woman I always thought that I had to have the love of a man or others to be complete. When all I needed was to put God first in my heart. God’s love helps me set the standard and everything else will fall into place. I learned over the past two years not to compromise my relationship with God. God is my foundation and is always with me. God will never leave my side no matter the trial or tribulation.

God is my protector.

A relationship with God is not something someone else can give you. I remember being in a relationship once with a man who told me he had to be with a woman of God. This was at a time I did not have a strong relationship with God. However, this man showing up for a season in my life journey exposed me to experiences with God which led me to a relationship with God. Even though our relationship did not work out I believe the man arrived on my path as a gift from God to illustrate to me that God is always protecting me through each season.

​Sometimes we have people placed in our life to gain understanding of God’s true plan in our life (and sometimes it can be a painful lesson). For me, I’ve learned a few hard lessons (let’s be honest, more than a few) and one thing I do understand now is that God will offer me forgiveness and healing.

God is always with me.

God has the vision, each moment of my lived experiences is part of God’s plan. God is concerned with where I am going and who I am becoming. It’s an endless supply of hope through all that I endure.

I will persevere.

Developing a relationship with God, ignited a fire in my heart to honor God. For many years I served as a skeptic, I now trust in God’s promise,

God’s promise is bigger than any past failures or achievements I experience. .

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny. - C.S. Lewis