Welcome to the Determined to Dance podcast with your host, Jennifer Hallmark. Today’s episode, “Perseverance: Dancing in the Midst of Chaos” kicks off a new series of learning how to move forward, no matter what life brings.

Are you ready? The world would have us march to its chaotic beat but God invites us to dance in His will and His way. Let’s take a moment to be energized, refreshed, and motivated to face the day, one spin and twirl at a time.

Show Notes: Perseverance: Dancing in the Midst of Chaos

I persevere. I’m determined to dance in the midst of the chaos. I’ve written these words in the notebook by my bed so I can see them at least twice a day. Why? It’s an important reminder of my need to persevere. Not give up. Keep on truckin’.

Excuse my seventies cliché.

But seriously, what does it mean to persevere? My favorite definition says, “To continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.

Yikes. The very definition makes me cringe. I mean, phrases like “face of difficulty” and “little or no prospect of success” don’t necessarily warm my heart.

But it’s my life. Your life.

Similar words for perseverance are patience, persistence, and tenacity.

Expressions for hard times. Difficult relationships. Trying circumstances.

When I think of famous people that fit those words, I consider Joseph and Ruth from the Old Testament of the Bible. Paul from the New Testament. Thomas Edison Amelia Earhart, Walt Disney. James Dyson. Bethany Hamilton, Steven Spielberg.

All are ordinary people who’ve accomplished the extraordinary. And they all had the ability to persevere in common.

Say your name aloud. Go ahead. Okay, I’ll start. Jennifer Hallmark. I’m just an ordinary gal committed to persevere and accomplish the extraordinary. You can too. And you will. Let’s start with something simple. I’ve encouraged at least one person in the last year. In the midst of the pandemic. That alone is above the ordinary. To get your mind off yourself during trying times can be hard but I did it. I know you did too. And if you take time to consider, you’ll think of many extraordinary tasks you’ve performed, relationships you engaged in, lives you’ve changed. See? You are a remarkable person.

When I first started writing as a career, I penned a medieval fantasy novel, think vaguely Lord of the Rings combined with Narnia, with too many mistakes to count. An offer came my way to self-publish so I prayed a lot, then declined it. I felt like God wanted my writing journey to follow the traditionally published road. He knew my novel was nowhere near ready and that I wasn’t either. At the time, I had no idea that it would take 11 years to be offered a contract. Then 2 more years before I would see Jessie’s Hope, my SECOND novel, come into the world. My first is still unpublished.

If I’d known this, it would have been overwhelming and odds are I’d left the dance floor of writing for God in utter discouragement and disbelief.

But a book I wrote was released so now everything is perfect. Right?

I see your smiles. Why is it that we believe if we only get that one thing, we want more than anything that life will be nothing but sunshine, rainbows, and perfect days? Well, it’s not.

Instead, I moved back into learning to persevere in marketing, writing more books, and learning lots about the writing world. I’ve gotten rejection letters and lived through days where I thought the sun would never shine again.

What advice have I learned that might help you if you’re just starting on a new venture?

Enjoy the journey. The mountain tops are awesome and worth the struggle but they don’t last long. Relish the view of each and every step.
Make friends along the way. And not just people you think will help you. Pray for divine connections and you might be surprised at the variety of people you’ll meet.
It’s worth it.