Perseverance

In my last post (which feels like forever ago, thanks to various computer issues!), I talked about being an encourager, and today I want to talk about perseverance.

Something I don't really have.

(Haha, which makes me the expert then, right?!)

Did you know perseverance means MORE than just hanging on?

Simply hanging on ~ which is more closely defined as endurance ~ is often little more than a fear of letting go or falling. True perseverance is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen.

Perseverance is the supreme effort of refusing to believe we might fail.

How many of you have thought about perseverance that way? (Okay, don't tell me -- I'd hate to find out I'm the only one who hasn't!!) I never once thought that perseverance could mean more than just "keepin' on keepin' on." I have certainly never refused to believe I might fail. Heck, I PLAN for failure! Just like a pre-nup agreement, there are always several "but if, then that" loop-holes when I'm setting goals for myself in the weight loss/healthy living department. How awful and faithless to prepare oneself for the worst even before committing to the best!!

I need to make a concentrated, conscientious effort to switch from just hanging on (read: maintaining) to persevering.

For the last several weeks, I've gotten lazy. I've been content to just hang on. I've gotten out of the habit of following the eating plan on my sidebar and as a result, my weight hasn't changed much during that time. Partly, it's because my husband has been out of work for the last three weeks and providing three meals a day for him makes fasting, juice days, and half days so much harder, but mostly it's my own apathy. I just haven't cared enough to persevere through the change in my usual routine.

Until today. Today is the day I start caring again. Today is always the best day to start making changes for the better!!

I've got five weeks until school starts again and I'd really like to hit 155 by then ~ a goal of 6.6 lbs. I've got two weekends at the lake (a weekend family gathering and church camp), and another trip to the city in between, so it won't be easy, but if I choose to persevere rather than simply endure, I should manage just fine.

How about you? Are you persevering or just hanging on?