Relentless

The word ‘relentless’ has been bouncing around my brain for over a week now. I know it can have negative connotations, but that’s not the kind of relentless I mean. I mean having the will to stay with an idea or action no matter what, because it’s the right thing.

I admire people who accomplish the goals they set for themselves.  The woman who loses fifty pounds, the Olympic swimmer who wins a gold medal, the troubled teen who turns it all around and finally earns that GED. On the surface, I see the shining moment of victory. Lying just beneath all the glitter, are the minutes, hours and years of non-stop hard work. 

I stand in awe of the toil and self-sacrifice. The commitment to the road they have chosen has to be made, and remade, every single day. Each goal had it’s own unique demands for success. Each person said ‘yes’ to those demands. They embody, for me, the meaning of relentless.

Prep Work

So…I think that God is asking me to put some time aside, and use that time to reevaluate my own goals. I need to figure out which ones are his and which ones are just mine. Once that’s settled, the big question looms. Am I ready to put all my effort into the remaining goals? Can I wake up every morning and dedicate myself to the work God wants me to do? No excuses. Just aim for the goal.

Pursuing something in spite of hardship is not easy. St. Paul was an incredibly successful missionary for the Church. But listen to the cost: “Five times...I received forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned…” (2 Cor 11:24-25) and the list goes on. Yet, he never dreamed of quitting. He knew his mission and his goal. Hardship would not deter him. 

I am not going to beaten with rods (phew!) if I don't hone in on my God-given goals and do my best. But I will disappoint him, and that might feel even worse.

The Big Question

The Lord is knocking on my door. He is whispering the word “Relentless.” It’s time to open the door and let him in. We’ll clean the house together, and toss out the things that don’t matter. What remains will be the projects that have my name on them.

He'll turn to me and wait. The silence will be deafening. Will I say ‘yes'?

I won’t refuse the Lord. I’m ready to try. I know I won’t be perfect, but he knows that too. If I truly am the one called to do it, then he will be with me. When it gets hard, he’ll either change the situation, or change me, so I can keep going.

This is an important time. I need to listen and pray. I shouldn't try to force my way. Like the tortoise in Aesop’s Fable, ‘slow and steady’ will win the race. Yes, the hare lost out by being overconfident, but I think the real hero of the story is the tortoise. He gets the prize for being…you guessed it...relentless.