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Your life is your Mindset: Mindset or the viewpoint your express inwardly is that which determines your outward experiences. It is that which steadies the ship of your life and “remains you confident” in the face of life’s tempests.
‘Persistence’ by any other name remains ‘persistence’. The story of the Widow and the Judge in the Bible, if removed from that setting and placed in any other setting, will still contain the same message; ‘persistence works!
‘Pray and not faint’ is a poem I wrote to highlight the importance of persistence. Often we give up in life when obstacles present themselves, but if we persist, remain steadfast and continue doing things one little step at a time, we will ‘weary’ the obstacle confronting us.
Pray and not faint
And he spake a parable unto them to this end
That men ought always to pray
And not to faint
If she were a mighty person
Then the story might not be told
But we tell it for a widow
To teach a lesson to the ear of the lowly
And to awaken the slumbering confidence of the mighty
Tis strange to see a widow at war
For the purpose of a widow
Is to mourn her loss
And establish her sorrow each day
Yea we have a widow at war
With enemies who compassed her about
So she did that which is done by widows
Seek recourse to help in the day of battle
Remember thou strong son of man
She had no chariots
Nor was she possessed of infantry
She triumphed as a lonesome widow
Remember O ye daughters of women
She was a widow set alone
Who came up against a Judge
Who feared not God
Neither regarded man
Yet here was a widow minded with a plan
A widow with a simple weapon
A weapon stronger than iron
A weapon mightier than an army
This then is the story of the widow
Who with her continual coming
Wearied a Judge most dread
I will tell you the name of the widow
For you dear reader are the lonesome widow
Who must the Judges in your life weary
With your continual coming
Commentary: shorn of its religious trappings, the admonition to ‘pray and not faint’ is to all intents and purposes an ‘argument for persistence. ‘Pray and not faint’! What does this powerful statement mean?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines ‘pray’ thus: ‘to make a fervent request for something’. ‘To beseech; implore’. It can be argued that one can be fervent in any endeavor or in any situation which requires solution. This ‘fervency’ can be construed as a mental or mechanical act.
To ‘pray and not faint’ means the continuous practice or engagement in something, usually positive, and not let up, or allow negative influences to filter into your mind.
Praying and not fainting means: doing ‘little things’ consistently and well. The story Jesus tells sheds an interesting light on the power and effectiveness of persisting till situations change. This is not the kind of inane or insane repetition referenced by Einstein who defined ‘insanity’ as ‘doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome.’
This is different. It is doing the same little things, the seemingly inconsequential or insignificant things, day after day knowing that they will add up to greater good, greater significance eventually.
Praying and not fainting means: engaging in an exercise regimen consistently even when you do not feel like it. The end result is a healthier you.
Praying and not fainting means: setting daily goals, small things that you want to achieve day in day out. This will allow you to use time wisely and make use of opportunities. ‘See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time.’ You redeem the time when you “use each and every little opportunity (consistently) and wisely” - quoting David McCasland, Daily Bread, October 20-2008.
Time is a perishable commodity and it should be used with the idea of impermanence in mind. Never ‘let the sun go down on your wrath’; never lose sight of an opportunity to make good use out of something. Always set yourself to work at something beneficial.
Praying and not fainting means: using daily Affirmations, Recite them consistently till they become ingrained in your subconscious mind. Some techniques you may use to become an ‘Affirmation-addict’ include placing post-it notes with Affirmations in places where you cannot miss them - on your refrigerator door, bathroom mirror, vehicle dashboard, etc till they become ingrained in your subconscious mind. You can even print business-card sized Affirmation notes and keep them in your wallet or on your desk or table.
Over time Affirmations become ingrained in your mind and burn positive mental patterns into your brain like the grooves burnt into old ‘33′ and ‘45′ turntable records. If used regularly and consistently, Affirmations will ‘color’ the outlook of your thought life.
Praying and not fainting means: reading something new every day. Try to learn something new or continue on a learning track to keep your brain active. It is engaging in constructive behavior in the absence of desired results. The key is to Hope and Expect the materialization of the Good thing desired.
Praying and not fainting means: to keep at it. It is like the new habit syndrome. It takes twenty-one days for your body to get acclimatized to a new habit. In that time you have to consistently fixate your mind on what it is you want and then do whatever needs to be done to achieve your objectives. It requires laser-like focus; a tunnel vision mentality till that which is sought ensues.
It could be as simple as reading a chapter of a book every day, or something more complicated as installing computer software. The bottom line is to keep at it until your body and mind become habituated to it.
Praying and not fainting means: practice, practice, practice. In essence you have to continuously practice and do things geared towards that which you want to achieve and or become. Remember that this ‘practicing’ is largely mental and in some instances physical or mechanical.
The greater part of almost everything human beings do is Mental. You have to mentally Will yourself and Determine to do some Deed or Act. The physical or the mechanical is always preceded by the Mental.
Praying and not fainting is not limited to the mechanical and spiritual acts of prayer. It is also the continuous Mental Engagement with that which you desire and or intend to become. It is continually investing in your self by doing the things which promote and are supportive of self-development.
Make no mistake prayer is critically important. However to ‘pray and not faint’ as Jesus intended it in the parable of the judge and the widow means ‘not giving up until that which is desired is attained’. The process of not giving up involves and encompasses several activities including but not limited to the important act of prayer.
Storyline: the road is inundated with curves and mountains, but before you set off on your journey visualize yourself at the end no matter what.’
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Posted under optimized Mindset
This post was written by michaelkpoh on October 29, 2008
yes~ persistence! SO often it is when one “keeps going” that we get over that hill (challenge),
tho
one must also accept that there are times when an action should be ceased, changed, reworked~ can still persist in reaching the goal.
Char, you are right on point; actions can and should be reworked, keeping the central goal or objective in mind. One might have to take a different path to achieve the same goal if there is blockage on another.