Trials are your obstacle course to faithfulness.

It was so long ago that I still looked like a Baywatch lifeguard. Well, sorta. Walking down a dusty gravel road on a sunny Texas morning with sweat pouring down my face, I was wondering what in the world I was doing. Seriously, why was a shy rural Iowa kid in Texas working at a job I hated – selling Bibles door to door? And then it happened.

A gravel truck roared by. And all that sweat instantly turned into mud. Scraping the mud off my face, I thought: How bad will this get? After all, this is my first day. Well, it got worse. Way worse. I worked 80 hours in a week and sold just three Bibles. I was bad. Really bad. So bad that their top recruiter later used me as his example of how bad you can be . . . before becoming successful.

Decades later, my Baywatch body is long gone (except for fake photos), but I’m still proud of three things – my Lord, my family, and my door-to-door success. I’ve faced many trials; nevertheless, my Lord has worked many miracles. I’ve struggled raising kids; nevertheless, my family is truly inspiring. And I was initially an abysmal door-to-door failure, nevertheless, by overcoming I discovered the liberating joy of Nevertheless – the persistence of character.

Nevertheless:  The persistence of character

Persistence is the foundation of every good thing in life. Persistence not only won’t quit, it won’t stop until it finds a way. It refuses to be fickle, idle, or inattentive. Persistence is God’s gateway to equipping His children: “We also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulations bring about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint” (Rom. 5:3-5a).

Peter also included persistence in his list of needed qualities: diligence, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and brotherly kindness, love (2 Peter 1:5-7). And James wrote: “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sister, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4).

Anna and I picked Nevertheless as our “N” character quality because of Liberty Baptist Church. Like many congregations, Liberty had friendly people, great preaching, and worshipful music. Liberty changed our lives, though, because it was the “Nevertheless Church.”

Liberty was small and nearly broke. Nevertheless, it thrived. We needed $60,000 in one day, Nevertheless, we received triple the need – $180,000 of jewelry, coin collections, and whatever we had – our version of the few fish and loaves that Jesus multiplied. We felt like the Macedonian church that was poor, yet gave beyond their ability (2 Cor. 8:1-3). It made no sense.

Then again, God loves obedience that make no sense. It made no sense for Noah to build an ark and gather animals. Nevertheless, God used Noah to save mankind. Abraham was crazy to obediently sacrifice his son, Isaac. Nevertheless, Isaac was spared and his lineage led to Jesus. Rahab risked her life to save two Jewish spies. Nevertheless, she became the great grandmother of King David. The Israelites were silly to march around Jericho for seven days. Nevertheless, they marched and Jericho’s walls came crashing down. Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Simeon, Paul, Peter, and countless others simply obeyed God and saw the God of Nevertheless do the miraculous.

So too, it made no sense for God to send His son to live a perfect life, die a cruel death, and rise from the dead so that we could join Him in heaven. Nevertheless, He did. And because He did, we can live with His character. We can obey. We can live beyond our ability. We can be God’s Nevertheless Church – people who thrive when it makes no sense, parents who persist when our kids don’t respond, and saints who keep serving despite initial failure.

For even in the darkest days, God is there. He’s there with hope, with joy, with peace. And why is he there for us? Because we are His, and because He’s the giver of all perfect gifts (James 1:17) who never forsakes His own (Heb. 13:5, Joshua 1:5). Therefore, whether you’re running through life’s obstacle course like a Baywatch lifeguard or you’re barely crawling on your hands and knees, the God of nevertheless is there for you, cheering you on.

What’s your “N” character quality?

For your “N” character quality, consider: Natural, Neighborly, Nevertheless, Newness, Noble, Nonconforming, Nonetheless, Non-negotiable, Nonstop, Notable, Nurture, or pick your own. Click here for a Free Printable Workbook with instructions and 300 sample A-to-Z options.

Questions: How has God been the God of Nevertheless in your life? What “N” character quality do you want for your family, and why?