Press On

Not everything can be with it, however, little can be done without it. Persistence that is. Nothing can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. Press on.

Exhibit A of the product of persistence is the Republican Vice President candidate James David Vance, J. D. for short.

Vance has held public office for less than two years. Vance served in the Marine Corps in the Iraq War. He graduated from Ohio U and Yale law school. He worked as a lawyer and venture capitalist.

In 2016, his memoir, “Hillbilly, Elegy” became a New York Times best seller and was eventually adapted into a feature film directed by Ron Howard, with Gabriel Basso playing J. D. Vance.

Growing up turbulence was common at home and at school. His grandmother, called Mamaw, was his saving grace. She reared him with tough love and discipline that kept him on the straight and narrow. A “blue dog” Democrat, she owned 19 handguns and nurtured a deep Christian faith in herself and her family. She negotiated with “Meals on Wheels” staffers for enough food to feed both of them.

Those are but of the many events that could have held him captive to poverty, lethargy, and a poor work ethic. These negatives did not lead him into cultural and economic bondage. They were compensated for by his persistence, his drive to press on.

A code of ethics can be designed by the following text, all of which are in a Modern English version. Don’t let your mind stumble over these ageless gems.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous…” (Psalm 1: 1, 2).

Meditate on this explanation of why God created you… think about it.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2: 10).

J.D. Vance is a classic example of what can be done if you only press on.