As stated in the previous blog, persistence is a key ingredient in making your dreams come true. Maintaining it can sometimes become difficult. I would say discouragement is a big time enemy of persistence. Let's discuss this and see if you also agree.
When I was a senior in high school my vocational agriculture teacher carried my dad and me to meet the dean of agriculture at a small Kentucky college. From the time I was able to walk I always had an animal of some kind around me. I had up to that point in my life as pets a cow, hog, billy goat, raccoons, skunks, a rooster, several dogs and horses. I enjoyed animals and taking care of them. When the local veterinarian would come and work on our livestock I would watch his every move. That's what I wanted to be when I grew up, a veterinarian. That's all I talked about.
I was really excited that day when we walked in to the dean's office. This was the man that was going to help me be something that I had always dreamed about. My future was going to be good. After the introductions, I sat patiently ready to hear encouraging words and my future plans of becoming a veterinarian.
That "DID NOT HAPPEN". The first sentence out of his mouth was, "young man you need to find something else. Auburn University only takes 2 graduates a year from the state of Kentucky. It is very hard to meet their qualifications to be chosen". There you have it. Two sentences from a man I did not know killed all the passion and persistence I had acquired the past 18 years. As I walked out of this man's office and the door shut, my dream of being a veterinarian would be shut up in than room for ever. Do you think I was discouraged? You can bet the farm on it. I was ignorant of what discouragement can do to you. I did not know that it could rob you of your persistence in pursuing your passion.
You must know your enemies in this life and know what they are trying to accomplish. Discouragement has won many battles of destroying dreams. How can I defeat discouragement. When I am experiencing brokenness, what are the weapons that I can use to defeat this powerful foe? Read, slowly, these next few sentences. You search and search for your purpose in this life. How you can fulfill your talent that God has given you to make a difference in some one's life? My grandson, Connor, got in bed with me this morning and I looked at him, he is one year old, all of my discouragement vanished. Persistence for my passion of encouraging people by writing and speaking gained many points against the discouragement that I was feeling.
That's it! You cannot develop persistence to accomplish a wish. A wish is like a vapour, it vanishes quickly and there is no emotional power to pursue it. Writing down your goals is also a good thing but, If you do not have passionate unshakable emotions attached with them discouragement can easily overtake your persistence and you are back where you started. Using only your mind will not give you a constant level of persistence. Take a look at this. Christ told a lawyer in Matthew 22:37 what the greatest command was "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind". (NKJV)
Develop a dream that will involve all of your heart, soul and mind and you will defeat , discouragement, enemy number 1.
I have to go for now. I will continue tomorrow. Please comment or email me at rhepler52@gmail.com
