Perseverance!!

Perseverance helped me battle and defeat depression multiple times. That perseverance was built upon faith. We all need perseverance at different times over our lifetimes. Besides the people listed below, there are many others to remember who persevered during tough times; the Apollo 13 crew and the NASA team in Houston,  Jackie Robinson, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Billie Jean King, Madeleine Albright, and   Marie Curie whose most famous quote on perseverance is: "Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves".

Sam Darnold was on 5 NFL teams, let go by 4 of them before he won a Super Bowl as starting QB.  It took John Wooden coached basketball for 11 years in high school, and 18 years in college before he won the first of 10 national championships at UCLA. 

Brock Purdy was the last NFL draft selection in 2022, a few years later the was a starting QB in Super Bowl.

1809-Born dirt-poor in a log cabin

1818- Mother died, Father blamed Abe

1831-FAILED running his own business

1832-BEATEN in election for State Legislature

1833-FAILED running his own business, again

1835- His fiancée died

1836- Had a NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

1843- DEFEATED in election for Congress

1848- DEFEATED in election for Congress, again

1855-LOST running for Senate

1856-LOST running for Vice-President

1859- DEFEATED running for Senate

1860-ELECTED the 16th PRESIENT OF THE UNITED STATES of AMERICA, and considered by many to be one of the greatest presidents.

Never Give Up!

Captain Charlie Plumb 

On his 75th mission, just five days before the end of his tour, Charlie Plumb was shot down over Hanoi, taken prisoner, tortured, and spent the next 2,103 days in North Vietnamese Prisoner of War camps. His first prison cell was 8 ft. long and 8 ft. wide. During his nearly six years of captivity, Plumb distinguished himself as a pro in underground communications. He was a great inspiration to all the other POWs and served as chaplain for two years.

His story

https://youtu.be/7KemtrEK74o?si=1F6vRwty1VKeDST1

Perseverance

Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906) demonstrated unmatched perseverance over 50 years, campaigning for women's suffrage, abolition, and equal rights despite intense public opposition and legal action. Famous for her motto "Failure is impossible," she relentlessly organized, lobbied, and lectured, even facing arrest for voting in 1872. 

Perseverance 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) is widely regarded as a symbol of perseverance, having overcome significant personal, academic, and professional obstacles throughout her life to become a trailblazing Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. 

Pope John Paul II embodied perseverance through extreme suffering, including surviving a 1981 assassination attempt, battling Parkinson’s disease, and navigating Nazi-occupied Poland. He encouraged the world to "never, ever give up on hope" or "become discouraged". His legacy emphasizes spiritual fortitude, advocating for the defense of life and dignity despite physical frailty. 

He lived through the loss of his family, the Nazi occupation of Poland (where he studied in a secret seminary), and the communist regime.

St. Mother Teresa (1910–1997) exemplified profound perseverance by dedicating her life to serving "the poorest of the poor" in Calcutta, despite facing immense poverty, lack of resources, and nearly 50 years of "spiritual darkness". She continued her mission with grit and unwavering faith, transforming her personal feelings of abandonment into a source of solidarity with the unloved and neglected. 

Nelson Mandela, the first Black president of South Africa (1994–1999), embodied profound perseverance by enduring 27 years of imprisonment to dismantle apartheid. His, unwavering commitment to reconciliation, rather than vengeance, unified a deeply divided nation, transforming him into a global icon of peace, resilience, and forgiveness. 

Clara Barton  demonstrated extraordinary perseverance by transforming personal struggles and battlefield trauma into a lifetime of service. Known as the "Angel of the Battlefield" for her fearless care 

during the Civil War, she persisted through bureaucratic resistance to establish the American Red Cross in 1881. 

Otto Frank, Anne Frank's father and the only member of the Secret Annex to survive, demonstrated immense perseverance, famously stating, "The duty Anne left me continues to give me new strength - to struggle for reconciliation and human rights throughout the world". He also advised, "Never give up!" and promoted "Work and hope". 

PERSEVERANCE 

Consider it all joy…

James 1:2

When I read “The testing of your faith produces perseve­rance” (v. 2) and “consider it all joy…when you encounter various trials,” I think of my friend Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe. She is best known as the woman who saved hundreds of children from abduction during the brutal, bloody wars that for decades devastated northern Uganda and South Sudan. In her current ministry to refugees, especially women and children, she continues to stand up to the evil in front of her. Time and time again, she perseveres in the name of what she terms the gospel of presence, healing and forgiveness.

No matter how grim or difficult the situation, prayer fuels Sr. Rosemary’s every effort. Like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, she directs her heart’s concerns directly to God in that personal way that two intimate friends would. “Love is the key for all the work we can do,” says the woman who’s been called the “Mother Teresa of Africa.” “Real love will always make you different.”

What do I want to ask God today?

- Maria Ruiz Scaperlandam

Without, FAITH, we shall fail!