Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Living God briefly on the front porch – just until the wind and the misty rain became too much for me. The clouds may be shielding the light of the sun, but it was just as our brief meeting was coming to an end that the Lights came ON for me. I spent time confessing my weaknesses and asking for forgiveness for “owning” the challenges in Life, and He spent time reminding me that He’s God and He is in Control of it all. When I looked at this flag of my Faith being tossed here and there by the wind, it reminded me of how the Journey of Life is. It’s only when there is absolutely nothing going on – nothing really good and nothing really bad – that the “flag” of my Life is still – otherwise, there are never-ending twists and turns. Sometimes the flag of my Life blows gently, and sometimes it’s whipped around, but I am confident that if I hold onto the Living God the way the flag “holds on” to the pole…I won’t just endure…I’ll Thrive. Isn’t that the way it is in your Life too?

It can be so easy to “overthink” our circumstances when we face “trials of many kinds” and we easily lose our peace AND our direction when we do. Life is filled with activities, and it’s laced with turmoil, and when we live a Life for Jesus Christ we can expect to be blown around in the process. It’s only when there’s absolutely nothing going on…nothing really good…and nothing really bad, that most people ever find their Peace. Some people like being locked away in their own world, and they refuse to step out into His because they’re so comfortable where they are. They don’t “sign up” for anything that has the potential to threaten their closed-off world. They watch the news filled with conflict and wonder what’s wrong with the world, while they never consider what part they could play in shining the Light of their Faith in the darkness they’re so easily entertained by. They see turmoil happening in the lives of the Busy Ones, and they pass judgment and criticize the ones willing to Persevere for Him. These guys LIKE “nothing” going on, and they see each piece of “involvement” outside of their closed little life as a threat to their peace and comfort. When tragedy strikes them, they’re shocked to see it coming. After all, they live a “peaceful life” and they “mind their own business”, and they wonder what they did to “deserve” it. “Minding your own business” sounds pretty good when it’s used as an excuse with a Spiritual spin, but God doesn’t expect us to mind our own business, He expects us to be Minding His.

The Bible tells us to “consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds”, not because He likes for us to suffer, but because He wants to Build our Strength. It’s through the “testing” of our faith that we learn to persevere. Perseverance is more than just surviving the wind, it has a Built-in Bonus that inspires all of us to keep going! The Word says “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”. The need for perseverance is foreign to the ones who fight to have nothing going on in life at all because they’d rather have nothing going on than be forced to persevere…or not. But perseverance is a way of Life for the other ones willing to fly the Flag of Faith to the world, and willing to take the consequences for it. When we learn to see the good and the bad as part of the overall Journey with Built-in Benefits we no longer overthink our circumstances and we no longer whine about the Process.

I sometimes have to battle my own mind as I attempt to rationalize my circumstances and I look for solutions of my own. It’s ONLY when I take the good and the bad to Him so that He can do the Heavy Lifting for me and I let Him help me sort out my Life, that I find my Peace and Persevere no matter what good or bad is causing the Flag of my Faith to be whipped around. Through the Process, I become more mature and complete, and I lack for absolutely nothing in my Life. I understand the Journey, and I want to be the best that I can be for Him. Perseverance is my middle name because I’ve faced the Trials of “many kinds” and I see the Hand of God in them all. I’m Strong. I’m Unstoppable. I’m Unshakable… and I lack for nothing in the Process. You’ll always find me outside of my Comfort Zone “taking one” for the Team… and with Him holding the Flag of my Faith…I’ll Persevere to the End.

How about you?