Patience, Persistence, and Perseverance

“Many people today lack perseverance. We have become so accustomed to instantaneous communication and access to entertainment and information on devices that we carry in our pockets or wear on our wrists that many quickly now lose interest in anything that does not bring immediate results. Then they move on to something else. No wonder so many people report being lonely and not having sustaining long-term friendships. Relationships with other people require patience and commitment, though we all make mistakes in them. The same is true of our relationship with the Lord. Sharing in His life is not a one-time event, a quick fix to a problem, or an opportunity to show that we are perfect, but an eternal journey that all of us have just begun and for which we all need infinite mercy.” (Fr. Philp LeMasters)

“Persistence in prayer and worship is one of the signs of effective faith. If faith represents the columns on which the temple of spiritual life stands, perseverance represents the stones by which the whole edifice is constructed….The spirit of perseverance…is a sign of humility and surrender…The spirit of persistence springs from an inward conviction that life is but one single way that leads to the kingdom of heaven. Persistence in walking along that is then the only means of arrival, the only means of overcoming difficulties. Those who stop on the way, for whatever reason, have fallen in Satan’s snares: ‘Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness overtake you’ (Jn 12:35). That is, so long as you walk, the light attends you and leads you, but if you stop, darkness—that is, the enemy—will overtake you at once. Regression is a kind of miscarriage of the soul, a failure, and a fall into its deadly pride and its strange desire for perdition: ‘No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God’ (Luke 9:62).” (Matthew the Poor)

“There is a common misconception that the main goal of religion is to have the correct beliefs, and that all you need to do to be a real Christian or to be saved is to hold the right combination of beliefs with the appropriate level of sincerity. The reality is that belief is the first part of a three-step process. Having the right beliefs is good—in fact, it’s necessary—but it’s only the first step. The second step is to put those beliefs into action, and then to repeat those actions regularly enough that you end up transforming into a certain kind of person. In order to become physically healthy, for example, you first have to believe that you need to go to the gym, and then you have to put that belief into practice by going to the gym, not once, but regularly. Only with time and patience do you become healthy.” (Dr. Zachary Porcu)

“…the tribulations' of the world are proof enough that we haven't reached our final deliverance, and the state of our souls also convinces us that the Lord isn't through with us yet. Yet we can be assured that our sufferings are leading us through the virtues of perseverance, character, and hope to the completion of the Lord's work in us, our deification of becoming like God and sharing His eternal life. Deification, in this context, refers to the process of becoming more like God in our existential character, which is the ultimate goal of our salvation journey.” (Fr. Basil) 

“Jesus tells us that “he who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22, 24:13, Mark 13:13) If endurance is what leads to salvation, then it is easier to tolerate suffering, because that leads to endurance, which shapes our character, which produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because hope is not in the things of man but of the things of God. Our hope is not in what society says we should conform to but what God commands us to. Our hope is in Christ leading us to eternal life.” (Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis)

“Patience is indeed a virtue, but it is a rarity in our times In our age of instant gratification, combined with the extra pressures and expectations that come with being able to get so much done in a short time, the art of being patient is being lost and even considered as negative.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)

“When we bowed down before Christ as King and God at our baptism, we received the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit then began intensive work within us, a work which He continues in our hearts, souls, and bodies. As we embrace His efforts, His gracious work will gradually achieve a total transformation of our being. At present we know within ourselves only the first tiny increments of this future transformation. Every achievement of the Spirit is His firstfruits, bits of His work. These achievements substantiate our hope; we are “eagerly waiting for . . . adoption” and the “redemption of our body” wrought by “perseverance” (Romans 8:23-25).” (Dynamis 7/8/2021)

“In our affairs, beloved, we have great need of perseverance. And perseverance is the fruit when [Christ’s] teachings become deeply rooted in us. No assault of the wind will be strong enough to uproot the oak that has sent its roots deep down into the depths of the earth and has become firmly encompassed by them. Similarly, no one will be strong enough to overpower the soul that is nailed down by the fear of God, because to be nailed down is to be more securely fastened than to be rooted.” (St. John Chrysostom)

“We persevere by getting rid of sin, the weight which keeps us from heeding the truth; setting as our destination the heavenly city, running the race of faith; and keeping our attention focused on Jesus Christ our Lord and King (Hebrews 12:2). This race is not a sprint but a marathon of endurance...” (Orthodox Study Bible, Hebrews 12:1)

“Today the ancestors of Christ are our example. Beginning with Abraham, they firmly believed in the promise of divine blessings to come. They persisted in their hope though it was not fulfilled for centuries. As the predecessors of Christ patiently waited for Him to appear on earthy, so may we wait with the same fortitude for Christ to reappear. Then He will manifest His glory and reveal the glorious eternal life that is now hidden with Him in heaven.” (Fr. Basil)

#FrJoshuaMakoul #Dynamis #StJohnChrysostom #OrthodoxStudyBible #FrBasil #FrPhilpLeMasters #MatthewthePoor #DrZacharyPorcu #FrBasil #FrStavrosAkrotirianakis