I'm praying not only for them (disciples), but also for those who will believe in me. (MSG)
Jesus never gave up praying for his disciples and he never gave up praying for those who believed in him. Giving up was not in his vocabulary and no matter how difficult things were or frustrated Jesus got, he stuck to the task God wanted him to do.
I really like frogs for the most part, but I have this annoying male tree frog who makes a buzzing trill sound most of the night, every night, all night and he does this to attract a female. Even though breeding season is April - July, I think this one is mixed up because each year his calling is all summer long, but I need to give him credit for the perseverance and diligence he shows.
There is this story about two frogs and I want to share it with you.
Two young frogs fell into a bucket of milk and both tried to jump to freedom, but the sides of the bucket were steep and no foundation was to be had on the surface of the liquid.
Seeing little chance of escape, the first frog soon despaired and stopped jumping. After a short while he sunk to the bottom of the bucket and drowned.
The second frog also saw no likelihood of success, but he never stopped trying. Even though each jump seemed to reach the same inadequate height, he kept on struggling. Eventually, his persistent efforts churned some milk into butter. From the now hardened surface of the milk, he managed to leap out of the bucket.
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So what about us? What should our plans be for dealing with the difficult times that can totally overwhelm us? Have diligence and perseverance? Or give up and drown?
Nancy
