Just finished reading a couple of good books that I could highly recommend. The first by David Aikman a former senior correspondent for Time Magazine called "Great Souls", and the second the autobiography of Elie Wiesel called "Night".

In David's book Great Souls, he talks about the lives of six people that in his opinion changed the century. Billy Graham by his proclamation of salvation, Mother Teresa by her compassion, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn by proclaiming truth, Pope John Paul II by his stand for Human Dignity, Elie Wiesel by calling us to remember and Nelson Mandela for his ability to forgive.

Reading the book and reflecting afterward, I asked myself what these six people had in common, and what in their livese enabled them to be such important figures in the last century. All six were diverse in their upbringing, their culture, their religious beliefs as well as in their life experiences. The one word that came to mind was "perseverance". Each and every one of them experienced times in their lives, often over long periods of time where their ability to persevere was their stronghold, their ability to see things through. But it wasn't only their perseverance, it was how they managed to persevere.

Patience, humility and respect are some of the attributes all six of these people displayed throughout their lives in spite of circumstances. Too often nowadays we look at perseverance as a negative, confront it with anger, self pity or doubt, too name a few. How do you face situations that come your way that force you to persevere? How do you make it through those times when every fiber of your being is tested, often over an extended period of time?

Is it your spouse, friends, church or faith that helps you overcome and persevere, helps you to come out of a situation stronger and more confident - ready to once again take on the next challenge that comes your way?