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Quite a few years ago, the church I was attending struggled through a tough season. Our senior pastor resigned because
of inappropriate behavior. The church family felt devastated. Some believed it couldn’t be true, while others left. The denomination brought in an interim pastor who specialized in these difficult transitions. His wisdom and experience reassured us. Hardly a Sunday went by without the pastor admonishing us to persevere. “Stay steady, church! Stay steady!”
I really like that idea. There’s something comforting about the steadiness of a familiar routine. None of us knew how the church situation would turn out, but we kept coming on Sundays, trusting the Lord for His perfect plan to unfold. And it did. As a result of the exceptional church leadership, a new pastor came. Our congregation began to heal. Because of the interim pastor’s exhortation to “stay steady!”, we persevered and moved forward.
Ann Voskamp in her book, The Way of Abundance, says “Steadiness is a balm to brokenness.” I believe that’s true. When we persevere in the midst of uncertainty, we learn a lot–about God’s faithfulness and ourselves.
Now more than two decades later, I still find myself remembering the interim pastor’s words. “Stay steady!” It’s such good advice when you’re facing situations where there doesn’t seem to be an easy answer or the road ahead is long, maybe even endless.
Just For Today
I’ve always appreciated Al-Anon’s “Just for Today” wisdom in helping you to persevere. Here are some of my favorites:
- Try to stay in today and don’t look too far down the road. Just for Today, for these 24 hours, I can do this nearly impossible task that would seem appalling if I had to do it for a lifetime.
- Live for today and make it a masterpiece. It’s possible to find joy in this day–even when you don’t know what the next step is or the end result.
- Each day is a new beginning, a gift to unwrap. That’s why it’s called the “present.”
- I can live only one day at a time. And we can be thankful for that! When I remember “this day only,” then the swirling thoughts in my head are calmed.
- Be willing to “show up” every day. That’s the deal. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish when you’re only focused on “today.”
Where are you struggling to “stay steady?” How may I pray with you?
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23
