J. Hudson Taylor said, “At first the task looks difficult, then it is impossible; then it is done.” In my life there have been a few things that sure seemed that way. Childbirth is one! I’m a midwife. I know when a mommy says something along the lines of, “I can’t do this anymore!” the baby will be here soon.
Witnessing examples of determination in nature is pretty easy. Most animals have to be determined just to survive. Between weather, predators, and the search for food, life for the wild animals is a struggle. This picture is a good example, the Roadrunner took refuge from the Oklahoma snow storm tucked in between a wall & fence post. He didn’t look like he was about to budge for anything. Some other examples from nature are:
- Salmon swimming upstream for hundreds of miles to lay eggs before they die.
- Cecropia Moths must struggle to get out of their cocoons for their wings to develop properly.
- Arctic Terns fly nearly 150 miles a day as they travel from pole to pole around the world.
- Wolverines are so fierce that few animals even much larger will confront one.
We would do good to take note. In our lives, determination is so important. The thing I see as most important is in marriage. Our world is missing that determination to truly love. We talk about love a lot, but in a very frivolous way. True Love isn’t something that just strikes you like fireworks. True Love is a daily choice. It is a determination to Love another imperfect human for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live; to respect even when that person is acting unrespectable and to love even when they are acting unlovable. That is truly the best example of determination we can show our children.