Sydney Avey

Dynamic Woman — Changing Times

Choosing my words

Jan 2, 2013 | Faith, Writing life | 2 comments

pencil cup

dreamstime.com

Resolutions are out. Choosing words to live by are in. If they alliterate, all the better. My words for 2013 are patience, persistence and perseverance.

I found my words when I wrapped up 2012 with a quick tour through Revelations. That was about the same time the Mayan end-times prediction fizzled. Nothing tops Revelations for grim prediction. Unlike all other end-times predictions, there is no sell by date. The end is a process, not an event.

Like most people who scoot through Revelations, I asked, what does that mean, about every other sentence. One statement rang clear, like a song’s refrain that captures the theme.

God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying His commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus. Rev 14:12 NLT

I’m adopting this for my verse this year.

To maintain a healthy spiritual and writing life requires patience, persistence and perseverance. On his website, about-personal-growth.com, Steve Weber explains the similarities and differences between perseverance and persistence: Perseverance is sticking to a belief; persistence is sticking to a course of action. In business it would be the difference between objective and strategy.

The word persecution makes me squirm. I am not facing hungry lions, or am I? Persecution is an act or a condition. It is the act of punishing, injuring, grieving or afflicting someone for their beliefs. In that sense I can say I suffer persecution because in my belief in God’s love and justice, I grieve over many things in this life. Patience comes into play because enduring in prayer is far more effective than executing a quick fix.

Persecution is also a condition of harassment or annoyance caused by attacks or pleas—for time, money and attention. Nothing diverts me from purposeful action and destroys my peace quite like petty annoyance.

May this be the year we face our hungry lions with patient endurance, taming them with prayer instead of chasing them over hill and dale until we are exhausted, easy prey.

2 Comments

  1. Jessica R. Patch

    Powerful words! Praying you succeed and grow closer to Christ this year! And persecution makes me squirm too. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Karen

    The closer we get to God, the hungrier those lions are, and yet, God strengthens us to run faster and smarter, and sometimes, He directs us to stop and turn around and face the lion. When we stand back and watch, God fights the battle. Praying that you know when to run and when to stop and see God fight the battle. Thank you for your words of inspiration.

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Crafting a Novel Around a Real Person: An Interview with Sydney Avey – WRITE NOW!

Crafting a Novel Around a Real Person: An Interview with Sydney Avey – WRITE NOW!

Categories

Archives

© Sydney Avey

Site designed and maintained by

Web Design Relief.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This