Tag Archive for: perseverance

Learning takes practice.

๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค?
Growing up in Scotland in the 1970โ€™s was a fun place to be.
I was oblivious to many of the challenges of the era, but I do recall one occasion at Primary school when I was around 9 years old, that Iโ€™ve never forgotten.
An announcement was made in class that a recorder group would be starting in school and that anyone interested to learn how to play should come along to the next practice.
I had grown up listening to my dad playing regularly on his chromatic mouth organ and like him I wanted to do something musical โ€“ he always seemed to be having so much fun!
The day came and along I went.
I was given a small descant recorder and duly started practicing in the weeks that followed.
Through lots of lessons, my playing began to improve, and I learned to read music too.

Lessons Learned

I began to understand that
  • Growth and development take time.
  • Learning takes practice.
As time passed by, one day I recall being picked upon and bullied by several boys.
โ€œYouโ€™re just a big namby pamby, a big sissyโ€ theyโ€™d say to me, along with a few other belittling terms.
Why?
I was the only boy, playing the recorder amongst a group of around 15 girls.
Despite the regular taunts, insulting and smart-alecky remarks, I continued playing the recorder throughout my school years and developed a resilient spirit to the comments.
Playing simple melodies, always brought joy to my youthful heart. And it still does!
In later years, in a little tender mercy, I discovered that like me, Monic too played the recorder.
Sometimes in life we have to persevere when opposition comes our way.
Oftentimes, its listening to the feelings of our heart, that can overcome the challenge of the day.
What challenge might you face today?
What does your heart think?

Marathons and Missions – the same, but different

๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐š ๐ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ž๐ญ๐š๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ž: itโ€™s long, thereโ€™s often discomfort, it requires perseverance, your mindset makes all the difference and the rewards for endurance are simply wonderful!
Mission life requires a lot of self-discipline as you constantly work towards future goals.
I am learning that a huge part of taking part in any marathon, just like mission life, is all about looking after your wellbeing – physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally โ€“ all of which effect your ability to succeed in the mission.
I have also learned that the best marathon runners have a structured daily plan and routine. Sticking to the structure provides a roadmap through the months of service and allows for more balance to focus on whatโ€™s truly important and matters most of all.
I have learned too that pushing too hard can impact your immune system and leave you a little weakened and shaken. Maintaining a balance is critical.
In marathons, and in life, sometimes you make great progress, and sometimes your progress is slowed to a crawl, setbacks are inevitable.
Running a marathon takes a long time, and yet time in the mission field flyโ€™s by incredibly fast.
Participating in a marathon is exhausting โ€“ enough said!
One of my biggest lessons thus far – Small steps work more effectively over the long run.
7 months ago, I wrote a short article that mission life is a marathon, not a sprint. Now I know that for a fact, but I love every minute of it! ๐Ÿ™‚