Journalist Norah O'Donnell said:
Persistence is incredibly important. Persistence proves to the person you're trying to reach that you're passionate about something, that you really want something.
I recall that as a child, I could be annoyingly persistent about some things. My parents had a way of dealing with this, of course. “Just ignore it, and maybe they will get tired of it or forget about it.” This didn’t work for everything. I did finally get that bicycle, after a few years!
As adults, we may have somewhat loftier goals than that bicycle.
Rabbi Tarfon said:
Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.
Persistence in doing what is needed is important. I feel that I need to be mindful of the scope of the work, and what my capacity may be. It is not OK for me to push myself to exhaustion. While some may treat that exhaustion as a status symbol, I find that this is not a great idea, as it may lead to despair and abandoning the work I attempted.
It is OK to rest, to take a break. Doing this before we are exhausted means that when rested, strength renewed, we may go forward with our works once more, rather than abandon them from exhaustion. While others may hope that “maybe they will get tired of it or forget about it”, we know that we will soon return, much to their despair!
Even as we rest, recover, and gain strength from each other here, today, we may consider how we shall further our works as we worship together.
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