perseverance

Recently , our city square held a "free ice skate day" We took advantage of it. We took our kids down to the skate rink, put the ice skates on them and then sent them off onto the ice.
They had never ice skated before. They have never really even roller skated/ bladed before.
They got out there and they fell and they fell and fell and finally, two of my three (the baby did not go) started "getting it" but, Gabe did not.
He was still falling and at one point, the mom in me felt so badly for him and I asked him if he wanted to come off the ice (at least for a little while)
His reply impressed me.. "No thanks, I want to stay out here till I master this"
I was beaming. He didn't want to give up.. he wanted to persevere.
I started thinking that it is probably the kind of Joy that our Heavenly Father gets when we dust ourselves off , pray, repent, get up and persevere.
I mean, let's face it, if you are like me, you struggle DAILY. (or at least often).
I thought about how many times things in my life have been hard and I have given up. I have taken the easy road.
How shameful of me.
I thought about something that happened to me recently. We had some changes happen in our family. It was a big step. Much like my first time out on the ice. I was wobbly and it was scary .. but, I knew I had to do it. I was hanging on to the rail but, I hadnt fallen. at least not yet.
Then, I FELL. Something happened and the skates came out from underneath me.I was losing some things I loved dearly and I was devastated. I wept, curled up into a ball and refused to get up. I thought about things. I thought that just going back to the door would be easier, I wouldn't have to lose said things and, I wouldn't be hurting and in pain. "ok yes, I give up, I am done" but, I wasn't out on the ice for me. I was out there for the Lord and was I really going to tell him that I wasn't going to skate anymore because I was going to get hurt along the way???
So I got up... and continued on. Hard as it was (and still is when I think of those things I loved SO dearly and miss SO much) it has become much smoother. I have let go of the rail and I am skating on my own (with the Lord of coarse ;)
God is so good how he will take something that is so hard in your life and see you through it, at the time, it is so hard, so devastating but, if you persevere , over time you see how quickly God can see you through.
I am thankful for my son and his little lesson to me. I think of how often I have NOT persevered and, I am ashamed. I need to be more like him.
God is good and I am thankful that even through something like ice skating with my children, the Lord can teach me a lesson :) He hasn't given up on me and , I won't be giving up on Him!!!