A man and a woman had been married 50 years. One night they were on the couch, and the wife said, “When we were young you used to hold my hand each night.” And slowly his hand reaches out until it finds hers. “When we were young,” she goes on, “You used to snuggle up close against me.” Her husband’s body moved over and nestles against hers. “And when we were young you use to nibble on my ear.” Abruptly he jumps off the couch and heads out the room. “Where are you going?” she asked, her feelings a little hurt. He said, “To get my teeth.” To nibble on an ear when you are young and full of romance and bubbling with hormones is one thing. To still be nibbling after 50 years when the ear holds a hearing device and the room is filled with Bengay and you have to get your teeth is something else. But any truly, meaningful human accomplishment or relationship requires endurance and perseverance. The Bible says, “Let’s run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” That means finish what you start. Don’t give up. The capacity to finish well is one of life’s great graces. Perseverance is the virtue that gives you the capacity to honor commitments when honoring them becomes difficult. From the cross Jesus says, “It is finished.” For Him, “it is finished” was not a cry of defeat or despair. It was a cry of completion and victory. We can know for sure that when we put our trust in Jesus that we will finish well.
– Dr. Tim Thompson