Perseverance

“Continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.”        ~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary

            Overwhelming obstacles? Check. The strength to persevere? Half-check? Our time in college makes it essential to push through all the hoops that life throws at you. Those hoops have the worst timing and cause tiny assignments to spiral into obstacles that we can’t control.

~Galatians 6:9,

 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

            If you don’t know me, I’m Judith Minder. I’m a senior at UA and I’m studying to become an elementary education teacher. Not only is my time being dedicated to teaching 2nd graders, but I’m also training for an Ironman. An Ironman is a triathlon that consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride, and a marathon (26.22 mile run) all in one day. Talk about getting a huge dose of perseverance when training for, what has been called, one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world! I’ve been training for about a year now, and that has left me with a lot of thinking time in my training (probably too much). I have learned that it takes a lot of perseverance and self-motivation to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to run 15 miles before teaching my 2nd graders how to walk quietly in the hallways. Trust me, those days take so much energy but by simply going to the T4C student center and studying God’s word charges me up! 

~James 1:12,

“Blessed be the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

            I am one of your Women’s Ministry leaders for the 2019-2020 school year, and I’m so proud to be apart of a great ladies group that strives for me to do better every day! My goal is to continue to motivate each other to persevere through trials and difficulties on a daily basis. Being a Christian on a campus with 40,000 students (and counting) calls for a lot of perseverance and steadfastness. However, I believe that we can accomplish our goals if we fight for them together. The walk (or run) to heaven is not the easiest but these girls make it a little bit easier. The trials of training can weigh me down, but it is this group of girls who motivate me to keep trying in my physical goals and my heavenly goals. 

            It can be easy to get distracted, lose our mindset, or shift our focus outside of what God’s plan is for us. Above all, do not lose your focus. We must find the strength to persevere, and overcome our obstacles. Working to accomplish our earthly and spiritual goals may not be easy, but do not forget that you are not alone! Strength lies in numbers, and I’m proud to be a part of a group like Tide for Christ, where we motivate each other to be the best every day. God is in control; persevere to overcome all our obstacles. 

~Colossians 1:11-12,

“being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”