"But I tell you this - though he won't do it for friendship's sake,
if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever
you need because of your shameless persistence." -Luke 11:8 NLT
Have you ever been persistent about something? I know persistence is
hard for me - I tend to shrink away at the first sign of rejection.
But, my first marketing job at 23 was selling coupon books door to door.
I had to get over my fear of rejection quickly!
Sara Blakely, creator of Spanx, is an incredible success story. Now a
billionaire, she went from selling copy machines to running a
multi-billion dollar operation. She recently did an interview on CNN
talking about her story.
When asked what her secret to success was, she said that it was mostly
due to her upbringing. "My dad would sit with my brother and I at the
dinner table and ask us what we'd failed at that week. I'd say, 'Dad, I
tried out for (this or that), and I was horrible!' He'd give me a
high-five." She said her father created a culture in their home that
true failure was not in doing poorly - it was in not trying at all.
Later, when she came up with the idea for Spanx, all of the hosiery
manufacturers refused to make her product because they thought it was a
bad idea. Eventually, she found a man who was willing to give it a shot
because his three daughters convinced him it was a good idea. But if
Sara had given up, she wouldn't be where she is today.
"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask
for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door
will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who
seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."
-Luke 11:9-10
Is there anything you need to persist in? Ask God for the grace to be shamelessly persistent.
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved." Matthew 9:17
Occasionally God will bring us to a place where he squeezes the life out of us. Yup, that's right. We don't actually die - although it sure can feel like it! God does this to move us forward, help us realize something about ourselves, or put his finger on sin in our lives. Often it could be a combination of all of these.
When we feel uncomfortable in our walk with God, it might be an indication that God is trying to move us forward, out of the mediocre, out of the desert, out of slavery, and/or out of Egypt. Often we won't know what it is God is trying to do until we move forward in Him. It is then that we can move past the discomfort into a place that may require more responsibility, more purity, or more strength or endurance, but certainly greater authority.
Growing is uncomfortable. It requires overcoming. Growing requires doing something when we don't feel like it. It may require admitting sin or beginning from a place of humility. Whatever type of "God-squeeze" you are experiencing, know that it is a part of God's plan to bring about his perfect will in your life. "...for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor 12:9b
How will you respond? Take up the challenge to pull through.
