Stubborn

I have been called stubborn my whole life.  Stubbornness has a few negative connotations.  Dictionary.com defines stubborn like this:

1.	unreasonably obstinate; obstinately unmoving: a stubborn child.

2.	fixed or set in purpose or opinion; resolute: a stubborn opponent of foreign aid.

3.	obstinately maintained, as a course of action: a stubborn resistance.

4.	difficult to manage or suppress: a stubborn horse; a stubborn pain.

5.	hard, tough, or stiff, as stone or wood; difficult to shape or work.

Lucky for me, I do not consider being stubborn such a bad thing.  I think being stubborn is the only way to make it in this tough world.  However, you must decide to be stubborn about the right things.  I got stubborn very early on about drugs and decided never to use them…never means never once the decision is made.  That’s how stubborn people work! 🙂  I also got stubborn about remaining a virgin until my wedding day.  Along with that commitment, I got stubborn about marrying a virgin.  And yes, to every teenager out there, it is possible and you can do it.  And it’s worth every sacrifice.

As many of you know, I got stubborn about reading my Bible everyday.  Every day means every day.  I have read my Bible when I had the flu, I read my Bible when I’ve been tired, I even read my Bible in labor.  I just simply decided that I needed to hear from Jesus everyday.  And I will tell you that over 4000 days later, I was clearly right.  Over those days I have had two children, youth pastored hundreds of teenagers, moved three times, gotten fired, maintained my happy marriage, started a church, counseled countless numbers of hurting people, and been under a lot of stress.  I needed God in the midst of all of that and without His Word tucked into my heart…daily…I would not have handled some of those circumstances the way He would have liked me to.

So, hail all of you stubborn people out there who are determined for God’s agenda!  Thanks for standing firm in a wish-washy world.  Backbones are a glorious thing and I’m impressed by Christians who maintain integrity in the midst of it all.