Perseverance Towards a Goal

Isn’t it great when the end is in sight? Having just completed an experience that will be repeated, I am looking back with relief, forward in anticipation and watching my husband consider the whole ordeal with dread!
The month of November was introduced to me as National Novel Writing Month, and participants from all over the world join in for a ‘writeathon; 50 000 words in 30 days. The result is the first draft of a novel, options covering many genres. So I embarked on the 8th of the month, already way behind the optimum average of 1666 words per day. By the end of the first week I had a gratifying 10 000 words, and it felt so good. The average short story contains 3 – 5000 words, and that had been fine up until now. The only problem was that the other participants were mostly hitting the half way mark.
Paul said, “Press on towards the goal - ” and I look at that passage again and I see the goal is to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)
Now I know that many people have to persevere in trying circumstances, but I think of a son preparing for a triathlon, and I know he will be asking the Lord’s help for the keeping on when the going gets tough, just as I did in my less physically active effort.
Trusting in the Lord is an essential in any endeavour, and my desire is to awaken the knowledge of the glory of God in young hearts, yet feeling so often unable. “Who am I?” I thought, “that You should give me such a challenge/” I received the words of the Psalmist, "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him. You made him a little lower than the angels, (heavenly beings) and crowned him with glory and honour.” (Psalm 8:4,5)
That is awesome – He cares for us, and we are valuable to Him!
I don’t know whether He wants to use my efforts only to encourage me, to show that I can achieve a dream, or does He intend to use my efforts to encourage others? He knows – He is God – and I continue, one step at a time into a long stretch of editing, cutting, adding, pasting, tweaking, and whatever else that needs to be done.
I press on, and praise my Lord for his Presence, His whispering, “Keep on, for I am with you, I will never leave you, ‘nor forsake you …