"Good things," they say, "don't come easy." To achieve anything in life, you must learn to persist longer. You must learn to endure insults. You must learn to let go of your ego.
Think about the biblical Canaanite woman. She ran to Jesus and said, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." Initially, Jesus did not say a word to her. Jesus ignored the woman. At that point, a person with an ago would have walked away in embarrassment.
She persisted. She endured the shame. She felt no rejection. She was determined. She kept following Jesus. At one point, even his disciples asked Jesus to, "Send her away, for she is crying after us."
When Jesus finally spoke, what she heard would have been enough for her to give up, to surrender. Jesus said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Her response? She refused to give up. She refused to surrender. She persisted. She endured the embarrassment. She persevered.
She came forward and knelt before Jesus and said, "Lord, help me."
Jesus replied with another bombshell. "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." The persistent and obviously determined woman replied, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
That was the response that changed her life forever. It was the response of a wisely determined woman. It was the response of a humble woman who knew what she wanted and knew the person who could deliver it. It was the response of a devoted mother with a great attitude and an amazing strength of character.
"O woman" Jesus finally said, "great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire."
Her daughter was healed instantly.
Do you ever feel "put-off" by a person you strongly believe has the solution to your problem? Persistence and perseverance are the key words that can open the heart and mind of the person. It does not matter how many times you have knocked at his or her door. It does not matter how many times he or she has slammed the door on your face. You must keep knocking it.
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