If you’re anything like me, you like to see results NOW! After all, you prayed about it, talked about it, prepared for it, and finally made the decision. That in itself was time-consuming and oftentimes, labor-intensive! Now, the real work begins. This is where the rubber meets the road. Where you find out if what you have dreamed of is truly worth fighting for.
Whether this pertains to your faith walk, or the decision to get married or go back to school-you will face a time when things become so hard that you will have to fight to stay motivated, focused, and determined to persevere through the challenges that come with all things worth having. What you do in these moments will reveal your character and set your trajectory.
If you’re a coffee drinker, you’ll appreciate the following story:
“Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks went to over 200 banks looking for his original loan. 242! Not only was he desperately trying to secure a loan, but his wife was also pregnant with their first child. After a year of rejections, he was able to secure the $400,000 needed from a doctor and two other individual investors. Today, the brand employs over 137,000 people around the world. And he’s worth 3 billion dollars!” Howard’s perseverance paid off and it set his trajectory, not just for him and his family, but for every employee and countless others who have benefited from his success. (https://www.inspireyoursuccess.com)
I can imagine for Howard and his wife there were many moments when they felt like giving up. When they wondered if it was all worth it. I imagine they doubted their product and their vision. It wouldn’t be too far-reaching to believe that they may have feared or struggled with the idea of their business failing. But it seems that Howard was willing to fight for that which he had dreamed of.
I believe Howard knew this: fulfilling your dream is not a SPRINT but a MARATHON. It has ebbs and flows. It has moments of great success and sometimes great failure (like him being rejected 243 times!). But I believe that no matter how long it takes to get to your goal, it’s often the “dash in-between” setting them and achieving them, where we learn what we’re made of, and more importantly, God’s faithfulness and His power to sustain us through every high and low. Let me share a few encouraging scriptures about running marathons:
Isa 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Romans 5:3-4 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
1 Cor 9:24-25 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
We live in a microwave society, where instant rewards are common and patience as a virtue is said to be overrated. We watch TV shows that solve cases in 45 minutes and are disappointed when real life doesn’t produce those fast results! Friend, today I encourage you, don’t be discouraged by the pace of your progress, don’t lose hope in the dream that put you on the path you’re on now, and keep always before you the reason you started your journey in the first place.
I leave you with this: “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as who you become by achieving your goals”~H.D. Thoreau
I’d love to hear where in “your dash” you’re at!