The willow tree requires steady sources of soil, water, nutrients, light, and a time of shedding. Likewise, our faith requires steady sources of encouragement, wisdom, authenticity, and release.
If we want to remain persistent in our faith, we must be consistent in nurturing each of these areas of our lives. Like the willow tree, all must work together synergistically for the wholeness of our faith to grow. Here are five ways to do that:
- Stay grounded. Connection to God is the rich soil of our faith. It is what grounds us. If we reach back to Adam and Eve in the garden taking that daily sunset stroll with God, we start to see the template from which faith is designed—consistent awareness, connection, and grounding in the steadfast Presence of the Divine.
During a particularly challenging year of my life, I incorporated a practice that transformed my faith. Every morning, I slipped out of bed, sat cross legged on the floor, closed my eyes and focused my awareness on the presence of God. It was simple. Attainable. Steady. Grounding. It was not always easy as the day’s events were inevitably calling but, I kept shifting my focus back to the understanding that God said He would be with us always, even unto the end of the age, that He would never leave us or forsake us. I remained on the floor, believing in this truth and expecting that I was not alone sitting cross-legged on my rug every morning.
Before I knew it, something beautiful began to happen. I looked forward to my morning stillness practice more and more. It was like sitting on the floor with my best friend. We didn’t need to say much, we just enjoyed these moments of uninterrupted togetherness. It was like finding my center again and I felt grounded, connected. The feelings from my stillness practice continued throughout the day—I had opened up my receptors and now was aware of God’s presence more regularly.
If you want to stay persistent in your faith, consider what regular connection time might look like. For me, it was stillness and knowing, “Be still and know that I am God.” But it could be journaling daily prayers, nature walks, or creative expressions. Your goal is to find a steady practice to open your awareness of God’s presence and remain connected, grounded, like a willow tree planted in deep rich soil.
- Find encouragement. To be persistent in our faith, we need to lock arms with others who have the same goal. Let’s face it, this life is wrought with many challenges and remaining steadfast can be difficult. We need to surround ourselves with people that will encourage us along the way and who we can encourage, as well.
Take a moment to remember a time that you were struggling and then, at just the right moment, a friend came along and encouraged you. Maybe they gave you perspective, maybe they reminded you of your own strength, or simply let you know that you were not alone. Encouragement is like water to dry earth. It washes over the hardened places filling us up again and preparing us for new growth.
If we are to be persistent in our faith, we can’t do it alone. Consider your own community and relationships. Do you have friendships that water your soul? Do you have to go far to find encouragement? Like the willow tree requires water for growth, you need steady rains to nourish a flourishing and steadfast faith.
- Pursue wisdom. Wisdom offers the nutrients in which our faith can thrive. If we do not pursue wisdom, we become stagnant in our thinking and unchallenged. Wisdom calls us upward and outward, which is needed if we are to stay steadfast and persistent in our faith. So how do we pursue it?
First, stay in a continual posture of learning. There are always new things to learn, ways to expand, and insights to be discovered. Forgetting this can lead to complacency in our faith. If you feel you haven’t been challenged in a while or can’t remember the last time you learned something significant, it is time to do some research!
There are many resources available to encourage you on this one wild journey—from podcasts to scripture studies, from teachers to many books. If that feels overwhelming, consider starting by reaching out to someone you trust. Ask what they are listening to or reading. Another way to pursue wisdom and growth is to find a mentor. Exponential growth can happen when you come alongside the right person to guide you towards a steady persistence in your faith. Every willow tree requires nutrients to grow upward and outward. This is what the pursuit of wisdom does for our faith as well.
- Stay in the light. For most of us, faith ebbs and flows. Remaining persistent in a growing faith is an art we will likely always be honing. It is important that we understand where we truly are with our faith. There is no shame in struggle. King David, Job, and Esther would agree. King David regularly poured out his complaints to God and while he lived anything but a perfect life, few would argue that he didn’t persist in his faith. His psalms reveal a heart that was honest about where he was, whether elated with praise or despairing and struggling to trust God’s ways.
King David was genuine, remaining in the light no matter what it revealed. This is why he was able to remain steadfast in his faith until the very end. We can remain in the light as well, allowing it to shine on what is truly happening in our hearts. Inauthenticity is not sustainable. We can only pretend for so long. But if we remain true, persistently taking an honest look at our faith life, we will be like a willow tree that thrives in the sunshine. Be honest with yourself, stay in the light and see how your faith thrives when you are authentically you.
- Know when to let go. As we walk this life, we gather beliefs about ourselves, relationships, and habits. While all of these can aid our persistence in a steadfast faith, some of them will only detract from our growth.
- Beliefs about ourselves. When beliefs about ourselves are not aligned with whom we were crafted to be on this earth, they must go! Recognizing these beliefs and learning to release them is vital to our faith. For example, believing we are unworthy will be a stumbling block to staying persistent in our faith every time. Believing we are not as good as others will shut down true relationships. Pay close attention to what you believe about yourself and consider if it is a belief you need to shed.
- Relationships. You can probably think of at least one relationship in your life that contributed to you veering off a path you were on. The power of relationships cannot be underestimated. We often get drawn in, believing we can change someone or that their toxic behavior will not affect us. I assure you, remaining in a relationship that is unhealthy will reallocate your energy from pursuing your faith before you realize it has happened. This does not mean you have to drop everyone. Some relationships may just need clearly set boundaries for you to maintain a healthy dynamic. Through prayer and discernment, consider what relationships in your life may need redefining and if there are any relationships you need to release.
- Habits. To be persistent in our faith, it is a good thing to consider where our time is spent and the habits that we have. Remember not all habits are bad! Brushing your teeth, grocery shopping on Saturdays, and eating a healthy breakfast are great habits that contribute to your overall well-being. Hours on social media late at night, consuming excess sugar on the weekends, or a lifestyle of complaining may not be the best way to support persistence in your faith. That said, no judgment! We have all fallen short somewhere. As you assess how to have a more steadfast faith, bring all your habits to the light. Consider which are supporting you and which could be like a willow tree in winter, shedding what is no longer needed.
When it comes to being persistent in your faith, you could create an exhaustive list of dos and don’ts, adopt a rigorous theological studies protocol, or live a life of fasting. These things have their benefits, but faith can’t be forced into a box, it can’t be domesticated or subdued. If your faith is to thrive, it needs all the elements for an organic and steadfast cycle of growth. To be persistent in your faith, you must be persistent in creating the scenario for which your faith can thrive. Staying grounded, finding encouragement, pursuing wisdom, staying in the light, and knowing when to release what is no longer needed will help your faith flourish like a willow tree planted in rich soil, well-watered and soaking in the sun, then shedding its leaves in winter.
