As it was coming out of my mouth I knew it was a loaded statement. Will is a powerful thing. I was driving after lunch with a friend back in August and was telling her about Mike’s grandmother and how she, as late in age as she is and as “ready” as she says she is to move on to heaven, always finds more will to live.
Ever since Mike and I started dating she was always “hanging on” for something. The will to live kept her alive for longer than she probably would have liked, but longer for her to have more love and joy in her life. Over the years she hung on for many things like weddings, and the births of her great grandchildren. She hung on until the very last breathe, until her final wait was over.
The will to live is powerful.
I bet if you were to ask Abue at the end of her life if hanging on so long was worth it, she would probably without a doubt say yes. She would probably tell you that she was getting old, but that it was worth it. Over the years she had stints in the hospital, and the last two years or so had nurses with her during the day since she could not be alone. But she hung on. She would tell you that hanging on wasn’t always easy, and that some days were hard and even painful. But she clung to life and found more joy and love, until her very last breathe. Her will to live inspires me, because if the will to live is such a powerful thing, this is a reminder to me that there is a will even more powerful. His perfect will. Just like the will to live, following His will and His ways isn’t always easy. Sometimes it would be easier to just give up right? I like to remember Joshua at times like these.
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:7-9
Joshua could have just walked away. He could have given up. He could have let someone else do the job God had lead him to do. He didn’t. He hung on. He lead God’s chosen people into the Promised Land.
You know what my favorite thing about this passage is? That God encourages us in what He leads us to do. Time and time again God had to encourage him to be strong and courageous. Just in the three verses above God encouraged him to be strong and courageous twice. Twice! This is Joshua we are talking about, the one who was appointed after Moses to lead the Israelite’s into the Promised Land. This was a task that Joshua succeeded in, but not without a little encouragement from the God he followed. The same God who was with Joshua in leading the Israelite’s into the Promised Land is you. Be strong and courageous He says. I am with you where ever you go He says. If you are following Him, the Great I Am is on your side! He is rooting for you. He sets the path before you. He encourages you to fight the good fight, and He will be there in battle with you. Maybe you are questioning if following His way is even worth it and want to give up. Hanging on isn’t always easy. But if you hang on and continue to follow where He is leading you until your very last breathe, you will see that His will is indeed the most powerful thing, and He will lead you to your promised land.
