PERSEVERANCE
Epiphany 2008 10:30
Ten-year old Kelley Sperry lives in Denver, Colorado. She has a rare medical condition called Parry-Romberg Syndrome.
This condition causes a deterioration of the muscles and soft tissue
of the face with extreme pain and even strokes. Yet through all of this, Kelley Sperry keeps on going and going... Just like the Energizer Bunny. And it’s this perseverance that
makes Kelley someone very special.
Kelly Sperry perseveres . She endures pain, awkward glances from strangers and the self-conscious doubts that go with a disfiguring condition such as Parry-Romberg.
Her family perseveres too. They endure the visits to physicians, the well-meaning but often rude
comments of others, the fear that Kelley will have another stroke, and
the other stresses that this condition causes within the family.
After Kelley’s story appeared in the “Rocky Mountain News”, the family was inundated with messages of support, but none had more meaning than one from Karen Osborne, the parent of
a student at Kelley’s school. That message gave Kelley the chance to do what other little girls only dream of... to be a cheerleader. Osborne had arranged to have one of the Denver Bronco’s cheer leaders visit Kelley. When she arrived, however, she wasn’t alone. Five other Bronco’s cheer leaders came along with her. They brought an official Broncos cheerleader uniform and an invitation to join them on the field for a Broncos game.
Since the original story in the “Rocky Mountain News”, Kelley has suffered a fifth stroke, but she’s determined to keep persevering. In Kelley’s eyes, her story can be summed up in this one sentence that Kelley left on the computer one
morning: “KELLEY SPERRY IS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER
GIRL...EXCEPT SHE HAS A DISEASE.”
Sometimes a story like that of the Magi is so far back in history that it’s like squinting at a distant horizon. We need a current story like this one about little Kelly to make the Magi story come alive.
Just the Wise Men had a star to guide them on their way, often as baffling as a labyrinth, so little Kelly is like a star shinning into your lives.
Amid all the shadows of disappointment, heartbreak, desperation, criticism, pain, disillusionment, sorrow, little Kelly shines into your life as perseverance just as the Magi persevered in their quest for the newborn king of the Jews.
Little Kelly reflects the Magi’s realization that in life there are beginnings and endings with living in between.
The stories of the Magi and of little Kelly make you understand that in your spiritual life, success is not measured by what you accomplish but by your tenacity to persevere when you don’t see immediate results.
For example, you may be striving for lyrical mystical prayer as deep as the waters Jesus commands you to launch out into, but all you can show for your efforts is a long shoreline strewn with distractions.
Now do you continue to put your shoulder to the grind and persevere or do you shrug your shoulder in a surrender to despair, convinced that your prayer will always be a rote recitation of words?
As you keep the image of the Magi in your mind, can you believe that great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance? That perseverance is not one long race but many short races one after another?
In the Epiphany, Jesus showed forth himself to both the Jewish and Gentile worlds. If your faith is lively enough, the power of the Epiphany will enable you to show forth Jesus.
You will show forth Jesus in your compassion, your forgiveness, your fervor, your joy, your hopefulness, your self-sacrifice.
But you will need the virtue of perseverance to do this showing forth of Jesus.
Melannie Svoboda in her book, Traits of a Healthy Spirituality, describes perseverance as the ability to persist in an undertaking over a long period of time despite couterinfluences, periodic setbacks or bouts with discouragement.
Isn’t this a description of the life of little Kelly? Isn’t this the story of the travel-weary Magi?
HUMOR – PERSEVERANCE
A young man about to go on his first date asks his father for advice.
“What should I talk about?”
“Son, there are three subjects that always work: food, family, and philosophy. Just persevere in these categories.”
The boy picks up his date and they go to a soda fountain. Ice cream sodas in front of them, they stare at each other for a long time, as the boy’s nervousness builds. Recalling his father’s advice he tries the subject of food, “Do you like potato pancakes?” he asks
His date replies, “No” and the silence returns.
So he tries the subject of family,“Uhhhh ... do you have a brother?”
“No.” More silence.
Finally he tries the category of philosophy,“Well, then ... if you had a brother, would he like potato pancakes?”
The thought I leave with you today here at the beginning of a new year and use as a mantra in your prayer this week is this: Always persevere in following your star.
Ten-year old Kelley Sperry lives in Denver, Colorado. She has a rare medical condition called Parry-Romberg Syndrome.
This condition causes a deterioration of the muscles and soft tissue
of the face with extreme pain and even strokes. Yet through all of this, Kelley Sperry keeps on going and going... Just like the Energizer Bunny. And it’s this perseverance that
makes Kelley someone very special.
Kelly Sperry perseveres . She endures pain, awkward glances from strangers and the self-conscious doubts that go with a disfiguring condition such as Parry-Romberg.
Her family perseveres too. They endure the visits to physicians, the well-meaning but often rude
comments of others, the fear that Kelley will have another stroke, and
the other stresses that this condition causes within the family.
After Kelley’s story appeared in the “Rocky Mountain News”, the family was inundated with messages of support, but none had more meaning than one from Karen Osborne, the parent of
a student at Kelley’s school. That message gave Kelley the chance to do what other little girls only dream of... to be a cheerleader. Osborne had arranged to have one of the Denver Bronco’s cheer leaders visit Kelley. When she arrived, however, she wasn’t alone. Five other Bronco’s cheer leaders came along with her. They brought an official Broncos cheerleader uniform and an invitation to join them on the field for a Broncos game.
Since the original story in the “Rocky Mountain News”, Kelley has suffered a fifth stroke, but she’s determined to keep persevering. In Kelley’s eyes, her story can be summed up in this one sentence that Kelley left on the computer one
morning: “KELLEY SPERRY IS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER
GIRL...EXCEPT SHE HAS A DISEASE.”
Sometimes a story like that of the Magi is so far back in history that it’s like squinting at a distant horizon. We need a current story like this one about little Kelly to make the Magi story come alive.
Just the Wise Men had a star to guide them on their way, often as baffling as a labyrinth, so little Kelly is like a star shinning into your lives.
Amid all the shadows of disappointment, heartbreak, desperation, criticism, pain, disillusionment, sorrow, little Kelly shines into your life as perseverance just as the Magi persevered in their quest for the newborn king of the Jews.
Little Kelly reflects the Magi’s realization that in life there are beginnings and endings with living in between.
The stories of the Magi and of little Kelly make you understand that in your spiritual life, success is not measured by what you accomplish but by your tenacity to persevere when you don’t see immediate results.
For example, you may be striving for lyrical mystical prayer as deep as the waters Jesus commands you to launch out into, but all you can show for your efforts is a long shoreline strewn with distractions.
Now do you continue to put your shoulder to the grind and persevere or do you shrug your shoulder in a surrender to despair, convinced that your prayer will always be a rote recitation of words?
As you keep the image of the Magi in your mind, can you believe that great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance? That perseverance is not one long race but many short races one after another?
In the Epiphany, Jesus showed forth himself to both the Jewish and Gentile worlds. If your faith is lively enough, the power of the Epiphany will enable you to show forth Jesus.
You will show forth Jesus in your compassion, your forgiveness, your fervor, your joy, your hopefulness, your self-sacrifice.
But you will need the virtue of perseverance to do this showing forth of Jesus.
Melannie Svoboda in her book, Traits of a Healthy Spirituality, describes perseverance as the ability to persist in an undertaking over a long period of time despite couterinfluences, periodic setbacks or bouts with discouragement.
Isn’t this a description of the life of little Kelly? Isn’t this the story of the travel-weary Magi?
HUMOR – PERSEVERANCE
A young man about to go on his first date asks his father for advice.
“What should I talk about?”
“Son, there are three subjects that always work: food, family, and philosophy. Just persevere in these categories.”
The boy picks up his date and they go to a soda fountain. Ice cream sodas in front of them, they stare at each other for a long time, as the boy’s nervousness builds. Recalling his father’s advice he tries the subject of food, “Do you like potato pancakes?” he asks
His date replies, “No” and the silence returns.
So he tries the subject of family,“Uhhhh ... do you have a brother?”
“No.” More silence.
Finally he tries the category of philosophy,“Well, then ... if you had a brother, would he like potato pancakes?”
The thought I leave with you today here at the beginning of a new year and use as a mantra in your prayer this week is this: Always persevere in following your star.
posted by The Ronald | 3:49 PM
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