2019 Steadfastness Takeaways

If I never have to look at the word, steadfast, again it will be too soon.

Just kidding! Sort of…

2019 was the first year I selected a word to capture my goals for the year. I know people who have used that approach rather than goals or resolutions, and was excited to give it a try.

Ultimately, I am really glad I did it. Picking one word, rather than a bunch of goals, gave me more focus for growth in 2019. This helped me intentionally make progress in a specific area, rather than sort of, kind of making little baby steps in a bunch of areas all over the place.

That said—grounding my year in the concept of steadfastness was truly much more difficult than I imagined it would be. Honestly, if I had known what I would be in for I’m not sure I would have picked that word upfront. Maybe I would have picked joy or love or something a little more warm and fuzzy and less difficult and uncomfortable. Selecting a word that basically means persevering in difficult circumstances was pretty much asking for a rough year. After all, how would I grow in steadfastness if I didn’t get opportunities to practice it?

I checked in midway through the year to talk about how the year of steadfastness was going, and then talked in my last post a little more about the specific challenges 2019 held. For the sake of space and avoiding repetitiveness, I am only going to focus on the top 3 lessons I learned about steadfastness in this blog post rather than rehashing my entire year.

1.) Steadfastness is Important

I know, way to state the obvious, right? I actually don’t think I grasped how significant and life-changing the ability to remain steadfast, especially in the face of difficulty or opposition, truly is before 2019. Sure, I saw that implementing steadfastness could improve my life in a lot of ways—benefitting my relationships and helping me complete my personal goals. But I don’t believe I truly saw the level of destruction and damage that comes from lack of steadfastness before 2019.

The ability to be firm in belief, determination and commitment to the best our abilities speaks the very essence of who we are. The choices we make every single day reflect our beliefs—about life, people, our behaviors, dreams, etc. And when we aren’t firm in those beliefs, when we aren’t truly committed to being steadfast in them, every single choice in our life becomes vulnerable to a thousand interferences. Our fluctuating emotions, the pain and pressure of difficult circumstances, even opposition from people in our lives can ALL derail us so quickly and easily from our beliefs and priorities if we don’t know how to remain steadfast in what is most important to us.

While remaining perfectly and completely steadfast under trial and opposition is humanely impossible—it is possible to grow in practicing this mentality. And after a year of experiencing so much frustration, pain and hardship, I now realize that practicing steadfastness is no longer an option for me.

If I don’t continue to learn remain steadfast in my faith, one of these days doubt and difficulty could take me under, making it increasingly difficult to get back up. If I don’t continue to be steadfast in hope, one of these days I could give up in my fight for wellness and give in to bitterness and misery. If I don’t continue learning and striving to be steadfast in my relationships to people, I could let wounds, disappointments or the craziness and unpredictability of life create wedges and walls with those I love most. I have learned that steadfastness is the best way to keep disappointment, pain and hardship from ruining my life.

2.) Steadfastness is a Process

If I think for even a second that I have this steadfastness thing figured out after one year of focusing on it than I’m sorely mistaken. If anything, I have only just begin to truly understand what it means.

Scripture talks about steadfastness as a character trait that is developed over time, and often through suffering. James 1:2-4 famously (and frustratingly) states,  “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

I thought about this verse a lot in 2019. If steadfastness is only produced when we are tested by various trials, then it seems as though there are no true shortcuts to developing this particular character quality. While this verse can make me incredibly frustrated at times, I have come to make peace with it as the fruits of steadfastness have began to cultivate, ever so slightly, in my heart.

When I find myself discouraged and frustrated with trials of all kinds, I have slowly grown better at pausing and asking myself what I am supposed to be learning and how I can be applying what I know is true to this situation rather than stewing in despair or hopelessness. Even during times when I do get knocked off my steadfastness horse for a little, I have grown quicker to get back up there, continue trusting God and clinging to hope rather than wandering deeper in the wastelands of negativity, doubt or the temptation to give up.

3.) Steadfastness is Team Project

While this may seem counterintuitive, learning to become steadfast takes more than independent, sheer willpower. If I have learned anything at all this year, it’s that true steadfastness requires a deeper level of dependence than I’ve ever been willing to try before. For me, learning to depend on God’s steadfastness and the prayers and support of others in my life has been the only way I’ve made even a smidgeon of progress being steadfast with anything in my own life.

Ironically, it was exactly when I stopped trying to roll up my sleeves and remain steadfast all on my own that I actually started making progress in truly being steadfast. It was after those moments when I completely blew it and then received grace from God and committed support from others that I genuinely began to appreciate the power and beauty of steadfastness. I learned it is much easier to remain steadfast in my beliefs and actions towards others from a place of knowing that God is steadfastly committed to me no matter what. I also learned it is easier to remain steadfast when I am able to be vulnerable with others and ask for prayer and support when it’s too difficult for me. Only from learning the true, steadfast security I have in Christ, as well as the loving support of others, that I have been able to hang in there when it’s tough and continue hoping when it’s bleak.

Final Words

Yes, 2019 is ending, but steadfastness is coming with me. While I do have a new word for 2020 (stay tuned) I will continue prioritize steadfastness throughout my life.

For those of you who made any resolutions or picked any words for 2019, I’d love to hear from you! How did that process go? What did you learn?