Awhile back I was doing my laundry. Exciting right? Well, on this particular day it was, in a nerve-wracking sort of way. Let me set the stage. I live in a small apartment complex and our similarly small laundry room consists of one washer, one dryer and a large sink where the washing machine drains into. I put a load of laundry into the washing machine as I’ve done many times before. But when I returned to transfer my clothes into the dryer, nothing was as expected. I could see that the ground outside of the laundry room was wet before I even opened the door. Still, I didn’t expect the floor of the laundry room to be flooded with water up to my ankles. I let out a breath of frustration. I immediately reached for my phone to call the building manager and then paused. Honestly, there wasn’t much he could do that I couldn’t do myself, and I really didn’t want to bother him. Let me just say that my manager is amazing. He will change light bulbs for me and even went to Home Depot once to get a specific bulb I needed. So, I absolutely could have called him. But something inside of me resolved to deal with the mess myself.
I noticed a broom and a bucket in the corner and I got to work. I used the broom to help guide the water into the bucket and once I got as much water in as I could, I would dump it out into the sink and repeat. I quickly found the culprit of the flood. A lone sock had fallen into the sink and and acted like a plug, so all the water that drained from the washing machine eventually spilled over onto the floor. I learned a few things that day. For one, I never realized how much water is actually used to wash a load of clothes, until I saw it all accumulated on the floor. I learned to always, always, check the sink for any stray socks or other items that might clog it. But on a deeper level, I learned a lesson about perseverance. Honestly, I don’t remember how long it took me to clear up that flood of water. Maybe somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour. All I remember is sweeping water into a bucket and pouring it out, over and over again.
As I was working, I could see no progress for quite some time. With each emptying of the bucket into the sink, it wasn’t like I could visibly see the water level on the floor go down. I just kept at it, hoping that what I was doing would eventually clear away the water. And after some time had passed, it happened. I could see that the water was no longer up to my ankles. Then, it was pooling in certain areas, like the corners, and disappearing in the middle of the room. I kept going until it was all gone. I got some towels and dried up the floor the best I could. It wasn’t completely back to normal but at least the flood was gone. A part of me couldn’t believe I had done it. But I felt proud of myself for handling the situation and for not stopping when at first, my actions seemed pointless. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to clean up the mess when I started but I just stuck with it, hoping it would pay off in the end. And it did.
It made me realize how important perseverance is. Not just when you’re working toward something that you know will pay off, like getting a college degree, but even in the moments, especially in the moments, when you don’t know what the outcome will be. So many times, life hits us with unforeseen circumstances and it’s so easy to think it’s all over, it’s too much to bear, we can’t get through it, we can’t overcome. It could be the death of a loved one, a divorce, a health issue, a rejection, or numerous other things that can cause our hearts so much pain and suffering. My afternoon dealing with a flood in the laundry room pales in comparison to some of the things we have to deal with in this life. But that afternoon taught me how important it is to keep going, to keep making those baby steps. Even when it doesn’t look like things are getting better, they are. Even when it doesn’t feel like things are getting better, they are.
That broom and bucket helped me remove the water, little by little. For issues of the heart, I encourage you to lean on God. God will be your broom and bucket. He might not remove the flood completely or immediately, but he will lighten the load. He will take away the pain little by little. It might not happen in an hour, or a single afternoon. I can say from experience that some trials last much longer. Sometimes the years drag on and there seems to be no reprieve in sight. But what we cannot see, God can. God is working on our behalf always, and though we don’t understand His ways, they are higher than ours. From His vantage point, He knows what is good for us and what is BEST for us. That moment in the laundry room is behind me, but the struggles of life are not. I’m still waiting for breakthrough in many areas of my life. I’m still waiting to see how God is going to use some of my struggles with anxiety, depression, infertility, addiction and trauma for good. I’m waiting, but believing that my breakthrough will come to pass. Though I don’t always see God working, I know that He is.
I choose to persevere, to stay close to God and to have faith that the day will come when the floods in my life will have settled and cleared. A day will come, and it will seem like any other. But it will be a day unlike any of the rest. It will be a day when I will look back and know that my perseverance payed off. That I overcame what was meant to harm me. That I didn’t run away from the floods in my life, or call someone to deal with them for me. Rather, leaning on God’s strength, I waded straight into the water and got to work dealing with issue after issue. Persevering through the pain, sweat and tears to get to the other side. I don’t imagine the other side to be a physical place, like the promised land in the Bible. No, the other side is an inner place where we encounter God on a whole other level. This is where our spirits are strengthened and our character is developed. This is where we find joy unspeakable and peace that surpasses all understanding. Persevering is not the easy path, but it’s the only path that gets us where we need to go.
James 1:12
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord promised to those who love Him.