Perseverance... Worth the Wait!

Some things are worth the extra effort and time. It's probably safe to say that the BEST things are worth the extra effort and time. Sometimes you have to decide to just GO for it and not give up.

Relentless!

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I was reminded of that this morning as I tried to make my way out of Boise for a 24 hr retreat by myself in one of my favorite little mountain towns. First I had to stop at Walmart. Then I realized one of my tires was really low on air, so I went to the gas station. It didn't look like the air I put in made any difference at all, so I went across the street to Oil Can Henry's to have someone else look at it. Once the tire was deemed safe, I started out on HWY 55 only to see a big sign a few miles down that said, "Road Closed at Gardena." I knew that with the constant construction on that road and current fires in the area, I had better check it out... sure enough, the road was closed. So I called my old youth Pastor - and trusty "get me out of any kind of car/travel trouble" (really, trouble of any kind - haha) friend - and he told me about an alternate route.

At that point I was questioning whether or not it was even worth it to go to McCall; it was taking me forever just to get out of town! Robbie said the other route would only add about 30 minutes and it would definitely still be worth it. So I decided to go!

I'm so glad I didn't settle for a local park or river.... that's not what I had my heart set on.

This also reminds me of one of my free days in Panama. It was about a month and a half in to the trip and I was feeling a little homesick/discouraged. I went to bed with a fever and didn't feel too great when I woke up either. Another team leader asked if I was going to stay back for the day instead of going into the city and I said, "No way." I was determined to find the same coffeeshop that my project director, Sarah, and I had found the month before. I wanted to find it because it was peaceful, it reminded me of Sarah :), it was in a really nice part of Panama City, and I just wanted a cup of coffee... something familiar. There's just something about coffeeshops that make me feel comfortable.



Rachel took a picture of me sitting in my favorite coffeeshop in Panama
- Ok, the ONLY coffeeshop I went to :) -
Just ignore the lovely construction equipment out the window

Similar to this morning, my friend, Rachel, and I almost didn't go to the coffeeshop. We went to the internet cafe to connect w/ friends and family from home, we went to the grocery store to get treats for our teams, we found a few random souvenirs and then by the time we were done with that, I wasn't sure we'd have enough time to find the coffeeshop. We would have to get a taxi, and even then, I didn't know the NAME of the coffeeshop or exactly where it was located. I was just getting more and more discouraged. I don't even know why it was such a big deal to me, I was just disappointed thinking that we wouldn't be able to go. Rachel decided that we should at least TRY. So we found a taxi driver who knew the area and agreed to take us close to it. We walked only a few blocks and when I found it I was SO relieved! We ordered the most delicious lunch I had for the whole two months - pesto chicken pasta and a salad, YUM! We enjoyed the air conditioning, the food, the drinks, good conversation, and had time to read our Bibles and relax. It was so wonderful... definitely worth persevering through the frustration of the morning to get there. It was worth the effort.

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I love when I experience something that is perfectly normal and God allows me to learn something through it. :)

What are the things in life right now that I'm not working to pursue, but should be?

Are there things that I am putting effort in that are NOT worth pursuing?

Do I take time to recognize the "small gifts" from the Lord - the reward for persevering?

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I'm so glad I persevered this morning and decided to make the drive up to McCall. I just love it here and I am so thankful for a day to just rest and process and sit by the lake to journal. Ah, my favorite thing!!! Open my heart to receive from You today, Lord. Fill me up. Keep my eyes fixed on You.