Perseverance: The Insanity of Hope

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. --James 1:12

Conventional wisdom gives us the statement: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."  This sounds like a truism.  In fact, it is specious. Hogwash, really. A complete and utter lie. Here's why.

We teach our children the nursery rhyme/lullaby "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" (also known as "The Eensy-Weensy Spider.") Why do we teach children that song? To counter any future waves of arachnophobia? Because it sounds simple and sing-songy? Because we like the hand motions? NO!!  We teach children the song because at its core, it has a life meaning.

The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.

This is what spiders do.  They climb.  You never see spider webs on the ground.  They are always up high.  Why? Because spiders eat flying insects.  To catch flying insects, you have to be where they are.  Up.  Climbing, then, is vital to a spider's survival.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

Adverse conditions are inevitable.  The Bible says, "the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike."  In this case, the rain was a major setback to our eight-legged friend.

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.

Another universal truth: when bad times come, they don't last forever.  Neither do sunny days.  Life is full of ups and downs.  The rains may last for a season, but they do not last forever.

And the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

Once the conditions were normalized, the spider tried again.  He didn't give up.  He didn't say to himself, "It's no use climbing up over and over.  It's just going to rain again."  Nor did he try to adapt, hoping to evolve into an acrophobic vegetarian.  No.  Instead, he picked himself up, dried himself off, and tried again.

Over the past few weeks my posts have kind of followed a theme, with a few instances of chasing down rabbit trails.  If you have read The Curious Christian Conservative lately, you have seen admonitions against sin.  One of the arguments against faithfulness might be, "You don't know what I've been going through, or subjected to.  I've been doing the best I can, but this life has just beaten me down."

If anyone knew of life's hardships, it was the Apostle Paul.  He wrote,

[I have] been in prison more frequently (than other Christians), been flogged more severely, and have been exposed to death again and again.  Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked.  I spent a night and a day in the open sea.  I have been constantly on the move.  I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from the Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.  I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.   --2 Corinthians 11:23-27

And yet he wrote to the church in Rome these words: "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4)  Where does hope come from? From the character developed through perseverance in the face of suffering.  We must develop a habit of hope in hardship.  And this flies in the face of conventional wisdom.

Those who continue doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results have a hopes springing up within them that the conditions may change for the better.  Like our hero the spider, we continue climbing up the water spout of life, hoping that it won't rain, and that someone will not turn on the spigot. No matter how often we get washed out, we always try again.  Foolishness to the world, but faithfulness to God (See 1 Corinthians 1:20-25).

We may not realize the difference we are making.  We try to make an impression on the world, but the world has a heart of stone.  No matter.  Think about this: "Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence." (Ovid).

Don't lose hope.  Hopelessness leads to despair, and despair to death.  Jesus said, "I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly."  The more I read Hebrews 3:13, the more encouragement I get from it: "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."

Thank God that my hope is not based on my history.  The devil likes to remind me of past failures, of secret sins that clung to me like a bad odor for so long that I became numb to it.  The logic is that I am not worthy of God's grace, because I am not good enough.  The truth is that "God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8).

We can defy conventional wisdom by keeping hope alive, for hope is what keeps us going. It is what gets us up out of bed every day.  Hope is why the spider kept climbing up the water spout.