It’s such a pleasure to have the opportunity once again to explore Ascend Camp’s theme of “Fight The Good Fight” and try to come up with a visual interpretation of it.
I love the Psalms of David, especially his lamentations. His clamor digs deep into what his heart feels; loneliness, desperation, weakness, we see a heart at the brink of breaking apart, but is always followed by a blessed assurance that God will keep it together. I don’t know about you, but there are days I feel the same way.
About a year ago I was going through a painful season in my life. My faith and my growth were steady and strong, but many circumstances beyond my control were tearing me up inside. I had many long sessions of prayer, begging for my faith to be stronger so I wouldn’t hurt as much. Like David, I enjoy writing, it’s how I can put my thoughts and feelings together and bring them up in prayer. That’s when I wrote the narration that you hear on this new video.
When Ascend Camp asked me to do a couple of videos for them I knew I wanted to use what I had written that day. But I wanted to build up to it, which is why I decided to produce the teaser first. Now that camp is just a couple of weeks away, we thought it would be a good time to build up the anticipation for it.
I named this poem “Persevere.” I thought of three types of people who need to continually persevere in order to master their talent.
The Artist
Painters, writers, photographers, all of those who try to express their creative side one way or another need to nurture their talent day in and say out in order to find their voice as an artist. Those who make a living out of it know about some of the obstacles and sacrifices they have to make in order to continue nurturing that talent. It’s a fight that takes perseverance.
The Musician
Like the artist, those who pursue a life in music have to give hours each day in order to master their instrument. It’s not just about hitting the notes at the right time, or singing some lyrics at a catchy tempo, but being able to express yourself through sound and lyrics. It takes a lot of work, a lot of discipline, and sometimes a lot of heartache.
The Athlete
The amount of discipline an athlete has to have has always astounded me. Rain or shine you see them out there nurturing their passion, shaping their minds and bodies to be as good as they can be.
All of us can relate to these 3 in one way or another. We all have found ourselves in moments where perseverance will lead us to growth. Will teach us wisdom. Will keep us on our feet as we finish this race and fight the fight of faith.