Stay The Course

Just when you want to throw in the towel, there comes a word that makes you pause...again. I have been spending a lot of time thinking about a project. That's good and bad. It's good, because it is something I enjoy. It's a big undertaking on my horizon and it's time to put some muscle to the mission. It's challenging.  With each look back, I had to excavate some buried feelings that aren't so pretty. And in doing so has caused me to take a long excruciatingly hard look at myself. I am the world's best at beating myself up. I'm working on getting past my past.  There has been a lot of progress. So needless to say, it's been tough as I track down the topics of interest and streamline my thoughts. I need to press forward. Just when I think it's just too much and  I can't put two more words together to make a sentence,  I get a text that says..."Stay the course."  It reminds me of the apostle Paul.  He was a writer too. And when he wrote he wrote usually from some of the most grim circumstances. I imagine he had those days when he was befuddled. Paul didn't go it alone either. He had some inner circle friends that attended to his needs. Young Timothy and Epaphroditus helped in support of his commitment to the gospel.  They were all united in the gospel but also they helped Paul in the tough times.  With Tim and Epap's encouragement, they gave aid to Paul and helped him stay the course. They gave him a faith boost. This kind of support melts the heart, because those that give it understand the mission and the intended goal.  This kind of support gives hope to carry on.  They project a view of your potential, it re-calibrates, motivates and helps you....stay the course. The support of a person's dream makes all the difference. In the uneasy places, just a kind word of support keeps dreams alive.  God's calling on my project can't be forgotten. It's a feeling that won't evaporate. His passions have grown deeper till I can't shake them.  This dream can also take it's toll and wear me out. There are some days I feel like I got hit by a train, then a bus, and then hung upside down over ant-hill. This process can be emotionally wrenching and physically draining.  There are many naked pages of hurt that still need to be recorded. I can't give up.  You can’t give up. You must never give up on your dreams, your goals, and your passions. On days when you feel like you don't know what you are doing, stay the course.  Focused intentions help patch you through the rough spots.  I'm not going to quit before I get there. And neither can you. Whatever it is that God has laid on your hope-filled heart, stick with it, don't give up. Don't give in. Stay the course.