Very few things in life are achieved with one big event. Most things are the result of committing yourself to the day after day grind of hard work. I once read an article about a band entitled something like “Twelve Years of Work to Become an Overnight Success.” Success is usually the result of years of hard work that goes unnoticed by most people.

This is true in every area of your life including your spiritual life. People who have a deep faith with great understanding and love have achieved that through a lifetime of daily practice. People who make a great impact are those who show up everyday and every week. There really are no easy steps to spiritual growth. There is only the commitment to small sections of time set aside to do learn, pray, serve and grow.

This is also true in Churches. Great Churches are often the result of years of molding the leadership, the preacher and the people. Kingdom growth is rarely the result of one big event or one skilled person. It usually comes after years of routine programs bathed in prayer and thoughtfulness. They are usually lead by people who have failed more times than they have succeeded. Years of work and experience are the key ingredient to most of the vibrant Churches I have encountered.

Every Monday there is this temptation to give up. I know there is for me anyway. Last week didn’t go like I had hoped. There were no big breakthroughs. No one radically changed their life for all to see. It was just another ordinary week with seemingly little results. Each week I have to remind myself that it is okay to feel this way.

The key word for most of us to experience growth in our lives is this one word: Persistence.