Bottom line up front: Persevere

Context: Like thousands of other federal workers, I have gone without pay for over a month. It’s been less than a joyful experience. One’s limitations become more acute. The whole situation stings. I have been through days where I battled bitterness towards politicians. After all, they’re still being paid … to do what exactly? To talk, to point fingers, to blame shift. It’s an ugly business, politics. I don’t want any part of it except to vote for those who (ostensibly) reflect my values. Sometimes that’s a pot of pretty slim pickings. What to do when you are largely powerless to turn the tide? How ought we to think and behave?

Connection: In Scripture, God is not silent. Near the end of the list of imperatives the apostle Paul pens at the end of his letter to the Ephesians, he writes that God’s people are to be “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Eph 6:18). Persevere. In other words, press on. Don’t quit. Persist. Fight on in faith.

The half-brother of the Lord Jesus said the same thing in his way: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (Jas 1:12).

Context is crucial, always. In both cases, the issue being addressed is about perseverance, about continuing the mission, about pressing on amidst trials.

Encouragement: I will not speak for others, but as for me, I am learning at least three things through this time of government shutdown:

• My finitude
• God’s goodness and that goodness shown through other people
• The need for perseverance

Takeaway: This morning when I checked the news online, there was a glimmer of hope the shutdown may end, at least for a few weeks. I hope so, not just for my sake but also for the thousands of others who likewise have been working for nothing. Why? Well, maybe it’s not for nothing, after all. It could be that God is doing exactly what Scripture says, namely, that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:3-5). In sum, persevere.