The Bathroom Fan Chronicles - Exchanging pain for persistence

The bathroom fan in the adjoining apartment makes a racket every single striking morning! A loud noise like a weed wacker reverberates through my bedroom jolting me awake. Its annoying and quite inconsiderate. My husband has complained in his usual fashion - very politely, with tons of decorum and a smile. Me, I've had enough. I've decided it's time to bring out the other side of me. I got on my computer and wrote a less than calm complaint to the management of the complex. I hit send. There is no coming back. Am I feeling any better? Nope. In fact I'm just as riled up and planning to march into their office at 9am.

Breathe...Judi...breathe. It's time to follow your own advice!

I have just finally completed my book of Monday Morning Meditations and am ready to send it to the printers. It's the first from my Exchanging Pain for Praise series and the official start of my speaking career. Official because I have been an inspirational speaker for a long time. (Yes I speak and am now officially available for your next women's, youth or other conference, meeting or service.)

Within the pages of this book of meditations and activities is a section about persistence. It's directed at those of us who give up too quickly. And yes, in many ways that describes me. I have always had a problem with persistence and I am sure that I have lost out on great opportunities because I gave up just a little too soon. My lack of a college degree immediately springs to mind. Hated college! Thought all the extraneous stuff I had to learn was unnecessary and my choices were lose my mind or leave and be happy. I left and suffered for it.

Jacob of the Bible was far more successful because of his persistence. Imagine what I could have

become with a bit more persistence! Perhaps you too could have been much more with a bit more persistence.

Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” – Genesis 32:26

We could learn a valuable lesson from Jacob whose persistence won him the blessing he sought even though he had done so many other deceptive things. The same Jacob who had cheated his brother Esau out of his birthright and tricked his father Isaac into blessing him, wrestled with the angel all night until dawn. Perhaps at 4am he thought to himself “I’ve been fighting all night and I’m tired. I’ll never get the blessing so I may as well give up and go to sleep. The angel has won!” But he fought his way through doubt and fear and held on until dawn. He went away limping, but victorious.

God is the God of midnight. In fact, I like to tell people that he is an 11:59 God. Just one stroke before midnight, He may show up. Just when it seems that all is lost, God can make a way out of no way. You simply must be persistent and push through to the end.

Which woman, upon hearing the doctor say “Push, one last time!” says “I don’t think I’ll push anymore doc; I changed my mind and decided not to have this baby after all.” For her baby to be born and for the after birth to be expelled the mother must push through to the final moment.

Today I will follow the example of Jacob. I will wrestle with the management company until they fix the bathroom fan. Perhaps there is a lesson here for you too. Perhaps there is something you too need to wrestle with, follow through on, push past frustration to reach. If the prize is worth the fight - Push on through!!!

Selah