Persevere Through Mistakes

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)
 
As a teenager, I was selected once by the coaches in our high school baseball district as being the best hitter in the district that year. My batting average was .375. If you know baseball, hitting over .300 is very good. It means that out of 10 times at bat, you hit the ball and got on base 3 out of 10 times. So a perfect batting average would be 1.000.
 
When you look at it, I was selected not because I hit the ball every time. Again, my average was .375. That means I didn’t hit the ball more times than I did. It means I was not perfect, but I got the award because I was willing to keep going back up to the plate even when I struck out the time before. Even when I made a mistake, I still kept going back to try again.
 
If we could all have that same mentality about life, I truly believe we’d be a lot better off. So many of us are tempted to quit and give up when things get tough, or when we make a mistake. We think if something didn’t work out last time, there’s no way it’ll work out the next time. It’s like we let one failure dictate our motivation to keep trying from here on out.  
 
But we were not called to be quitters. We aren’t supposed to give up after we strike out one time. We’re supposed to persevere, to keep going, to get back up to the plate once again. Remember, just because you got rejected last time doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask this person out on a date. Just because you didn’t get promoted last year doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep working hard. And just because the number on the scale didn’t go down this week, that doesn’t mean you should give up on healthy eating and exercise all together. Keep going. Keep pushing. Keep working, and you will reap the reward of your perseverance.