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Just a Little Further

James 1:12
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

As a teenager living on a mission field in Papua New Guinea, my friends and I would often go on hikes near our home. It was fun to explore the mountains and hillsides and skip rocks across the streams. When we were hiking in unfamiliar locations, we often asked a local person to be our guide and show us the way. Inevitably as the hike progressed, we would find ourselves asking our guide, “Dispela ples i stap we?” (dis-pellah play-is e stop wher?) Translation: “Where is this place?” or “How much farther is it?” More than once the guide would patiently respond “Long hap lik lik.” (long hop leek leek) Translation: “Over there a little bit” or “Just a little farther.”

I remember sometimes not being very satisfied with that answer. As a Westerner, I wanted to know exactly how many miles were left to our hike. I was tired and anxious to get to our destination. But our guides, who had lived in these mountains all their lives, didn’t measure distance the same way I did. They measured distance by the time it took to get to a location and their familiarity with the trail. This meant my friends and I had to learn to trust them. We had to trust that our guides were leading us in the right direction and would eventually bring us to our destination. We had to persevere and not give up.

When life and its challenges threaten to overwhelm us, we may become discouraged and be tempted to give up. We may wonder, how much longer will this illness go on? When will this challenge end? How much more can we endure?

God doesn’t always give us a clear answer to those questions. Instead He calls us to persevere and trust in Him to guide us. In Hebrews 12:1, He reminds us of all the believers who have gone before us. Their witness and example of persevering through trials and challenges can be an encouragement to us to continue following the path that God has set before us. In James 1:12, we are reminded that those who persevere under trial will one day join our Heavenly Father in heaven.

So by God’s grace we persevere on our journey through life. We continue to trust our God, who loved us enough to send His only Son to die on the cross for us. We continue to trust that He will be with us every step of the way and one day we will reach our heavenly home.

Heavenly Father, Please forgive me when life’s circumstances overwhelm me, and I feel I cannot go on. Help me to trust in You and Your unfailing love. Help me to trust that You are always with me, and You will guide and protect me every step of the way until I reach my heavenly home. In Jesus’ name. Amen.