We had our monthly Men’s breakfast this morning and the subject of the devotional after the meal was Perseverance.
Towards the end of the class a metaphor came into my mind that is from an old Chinese story about the bamboo tree. Maybe you’ve already heard it but it is a motivational secular parable about persistence, patience and perseverance in the face of what seems like years of discouragement.
When a bamboo seed and a fern seed are planted side by side, watered, and nurtured, the results are very different. The fern sprouts right away into a lush plant within just a few weeks. The bamboo however, will show absolutely no sign of life above the ground for four long years. Many would give up, thinking that that seed is a failure. But in the fifth year, something amazing happens: the bamboo shoots up to 80 or 90 feet tall in just six weeks. The bamboo didn’t just grow in six weeks—it spent over four years putting down roots to support the shoots, for without that root system, it would never be able to sustain its towering height.
And so it can be in our Christian walk. There can be times when there is no visible growth – either personally or as a congregation. Discouragement can sneak in and tempt us to quit. but we are told in scripture to persevere with patience and long suffering.
Paul wrote in Romans 5:1-4, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, wehave peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
And James adds in 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
These verses tell us that perseverance is not only something important to God but also necessary for to build character. We must persevere to grow up into Christ and to sustain a lasting hope.
So the next time it feels like you are spinning your wheels without visible results, you may actually be putting down spiritual roots as a foundation for growth to come.
Barrie ON