Burny Mattison was the longest-serving employee at the Walt Disney Company before he passed away in February of this year. He spent 70 years at Disney. He started working in the company mailroom when he was 18. Six months later he became an animator and worked on the film Lady and the Tramp. He worked on several other films, including, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, the Rescuers and others.* Mattison illustrates one nuance of the word persevere. The word can mean to remain, to stay in place.

That meaning is used in Luke 2:43, “After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.” (NIV 1984) This root meaning of “staying behind” or staying in place colors the word in many instances. You could say Burny Mattison persevered at Disney. He stayed in place for 70 years.

Are you staying in place with your faith in Jesus? 2 Peter 1:5-7 says, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (NIV 1984)

Hang in there. Don’t surrender your faith in Jesus. Make every effort to persevere, to remain, to stand your ground, to wait patiently.

*Vanessa Serna, "Disney's longest serving employee of 70 YEARS – who started out as a ‘traffic boy’ for Walt Disney - dies at age 87: Animator worked on Lady and the Tramp, The Jungle Book and other classics," Daily Mail, last updated February 28, 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11800639/Disneys-longest-serving-employee-70-YEARS-dies-age-87-Animator-worked-Lady-Tramp.html

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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.