"Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little." -Plutarch

With every thought, we are working on our destiny. When a sculptor creates an elephant, each touch of the chisel shapes the stone. While carving an eye he barely strokes the
stone, but those light strokes are as vital as the rough shaping blows. There is no such thing as an unimportant blow. 

Similarly, every thought shapes our lives. There is no such thing as a little thought, no such thing as an unimportant thought. It may be heavy, it may be light, but it always
should be well-directed, with discrimination and precision. ~Easwaran

Sometimes I get a sense that the challenges that we are facing as well intentioned individuals are overwhelming. From time to time, as I survey and experience the anger, distrust and the issues that seem to endlessly cause separation between my friends at church, it affects me in a most discouraging way. It is so easy to become discouraged and feel that we are not achieving anything worthwhile for The Kingdom of Heaven. The seeds of discord and the work of the evil one from time to time seems to be winning.
Then I come back to the Lord in prayer, and He renews my hope by His Spirit and through His Word. I am called to persevere, in the midst of discouraging opinions and attitudes. There is indeed hope and there is light ahead. The thoughts and impressions I leave- as I live from the essential self within- DO matter. I am to express the hope and the faith I have in God's purpose for our church, and for each of our lives. By the grace of God, the thoughts I foster and encourage and the positive outlook I exhibit does matter.
Like Nehemiah did with the ancient remnant in Jerusalem, I am to be a positive force for persevering hope and for doing the work of God, even in the face of opposition. Even though I am daunted by the feelings of hopelessness and the looks of despair in the faces of others, I can work to persevere and choose not to be influenced by those things.
May the Lord Christ Himself empower me to effectively remember--"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

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