To grind. To fight. To struggle. To run. To create. To fall. To get back up. To keep going. To be, finally, your best.

I think of this today because my husband Dan—who’s half past 70 plus some change—published his first book this week. The writing took five+ years. Now after sweating, dreaming, sowing, and all-out praying, Dan’s mystery adventure novel for kids and teens is finished and listed for sale.

But that’s not the point.

The point is he kept going.

My agent Ann Spangler, whose own writing is beloved worldwide, affirmed Dan’s efforts on my Facebook post: “A wonderful creative man, not afraid to try new things.”

Not afraid. Or afraid—and trying anyway.

That is the ticket.

It opens big doors. I’m amazed to watch it. I know the scorn heaped on folks willing to try something great or new. A self-published author? For years, they were dissed as amateurs and wannabe’s.

Zillions of books later, that bogus notion is dead. Self-published sensations such as William P. Young (“The Shack), Andy Weir (“The Martian) and too many others to list here watched old publishing stumble as readers rejected pedigree for storytelling power.

But this little reflection isn’t just about publishing.

It’s about persistence. And faith. And the God-given hunger to keep climbing, serving, trying, going, believing.

I hear the Bible’s great encouragements on persevering—to keep knocking (Luke 11:9-10), keep enduring (James 1:4), keep pursuing (Luke 18:1-8). “So don’t get weary of doing good,” wrote the Apostle Paul (Galatians 6:9), “for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Like that Persistent Widow in the Gospel of Luke. That sister hung on. Justice was her goal and she refused to quit.

The unjust judge, however, finally caved. “Because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice,” he conceded, “so that she may not wear me out” (vs. 5).

Talk about sticking power. She refused to back down. But the power of persistence, this Parable teaches, is first a gift from God (vs. 7).

So one final point about Dan.

For sure, he stuck with it. He finished his book and published it. But not for himself. He did it, he says, for the Lord.

“Then, people won’t say ‘look at Dan.’”

Instead, Dan simply wants to hear this: Look at God.

Patricia Raybon is an award-winning author of books and essays on mountain-moving faith.

For more inspiration, see her 5-star rated One Year® God’s Great Blessings Devotional and  also her new Beautiful Blessings from God. 

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