A faith that perseveres

There are days when perseverance seems to mean just this: carrying on showing up. Showing up at work with your mind somewhere else, showing up at home when your strength has run out, showing up at the Sunday celebration without much desire to sing. The Bible speaks of endurance as a practice, not a feeling, and that is good news for anyone who is tired.

These lines come from last Sunday’s message at Vida Lisboa, in Loures, after several people told us the same thing: “I have no strength for big steps, but I do not want to give up.” If you recognise yourself in that sentence, this reflection is for you.

Perseverance is not enduring alone

Psalm 121 was sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem, climbing hills that were not easy. Notice the question it begins with: “Where does my help come from?” The psalmist does not pretend all is well. He looks at the hills, admits the climb is hard and only then answers: help comes from the Lord.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains: where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1–2)

Two things in this text touch us. The first is that it was sung in a group: nobody climbed alone. The second is that the God who watches over the road does not sleep, which means our perseverance does not depend on never getting distracted or never failing. It is He who holds us.

Hope is a practice

We often talk about hope as if it were a state of mind that either happens to us or does not. The Bible speaks of it as training. The letter to the Hebrews invites us to run with perseverance the race set before us, “fixing our eyes on Jesus”. Nobody runs a marathon in a single stride: you run step by step, with pauses, with water, with someone running beside you.

Three small gestures

We do not need to see the whole path, only the next step. Here are three simple gestures anyone can try this very week:

• Show up, even tired: a group meeting, a celebration, an agreed phone call. Consistency beats enthusiasm.
• Ask for help early: say “I am not well today” to someone you trust, before reaching the limit.
• Give thanks for what already exists: write down three good things at the end of the day, however small. Gratitude restores perspective.

When doubt appears

Perseverance does not mean never doubting. A father seeking healing for his son said to Jesus one of the most honest sentences in the Bible: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” The faith that perseveres is not the one that never wavers; it is the one that keeps turning to Jesus even in the middle of doubt. If today you have more questions than answers, you are not off the path.

On such days it helps to lower our expectations of ourselves and raise our expectations of God. He is not frightened by our questions. You can ask them in prayer, aloud, or in a frank conversation with someone in your group.

For this week

Choose one gesture and share it with someone. If you need a friendly hand, our family groups meet during the week in homes all around Loures, and on Sundays at 11:00 am we celebrate together at Caminho das Lezírias 12. Come as you are. As Paul says to the Galatians, at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. It is not a promise that it will be easy; it is a promise that it will not be in vain.