Why Do We Persevere During Tough Times?

“I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers.”

—Jeremiah 29:11-12 (CEV).

Many of us have had harrowing times in life where we’ve questioned whether we could go on emotionally or not. I recall a vision of my life back in November 2003 where I had the choice, yet again, to rise up in faith or fall for demise; and yet, the latter was untenable for me even then. Why so?

Why is it that we have the wisdom to make the correct decision, despite the emotional torment of the season we’re in? And as we look back, what influences of life helped us make the decision to go the right way?

The vision I recalled had me in my kitchen quite perplexed, yet reading (meditating over) The Desiderata. I’d also recently mentioned to a then family member that my only hope to get through this time was to cling to my faith in God.

It appears that when we have these crossroad periods in life, and we’re on a knife’s edge, that indeed, we go sharply one way or the other—though it needs to be said that going the wrong way in ambivalence is no extreme form of rebellion; but still it is rebellion.

So, why do we go the straight way when all about us, apparently, are signs to turn away from God?

My reality is there seemed to be no signs to go the wrong way or certainly there were more right signs; perhaps my heart was right and God honoured that?

When it boils down to it, I have a hypothesis. I think it’s our sense of prevailing hope out of a shaky though sound faith in good that keeps us going.

We believe at our core, as we’re pressed down there, that there’s still a good future for us, even though it’s a distance off. For us we have to believe this.

And when we read passages like the one above out of Jeremiah our instincts and hopes are vindicated—we again hold on for yet one more ride on the surging tidal wave of life!

© S. J. Wickham, 2009.