Persistence has carried me up and over Paradise Divide on my bicycle—and back down in ensuing darkness, sleet, and cold. Persistence has guided me through failure—and successful innovation. It coaches me through the constant, relentless, physical pain I manage.

But it’s a balancing act.

Not enough persistence—I’m beaten. Too much persistence—I’m abrasive.

“What demarcates persistence from abrasiveness?” I prayed one evening as I walked my neighborhood.

Thoughts came that sounded like His voice—God’s voice.

Abrasiveness has embedded in it self-reliance, desperation, and demand—all driven by the fear that if you are unsuccessful, you will be conquered. A failure. You will be less than the demand put upon you. Or if you are successful, you will have won, but done so by abrasiveness.

Abrasiveness believes you are defined by outcome. Therefore, you are at stake.

Persistence believes you are untouched by outcome—that you are declared accepted by Me, your Father in heaven, and that your identity is secured in Christ Jesus.

Given this, you are free to bring every resource—physical, intellectual, emotional, willful—to the task at hand. There is no cause to escape fear or leverage yourself with self-reliance—believing you’ll be a better man if you win or a lesser man if you fail.

Persistence is the grit of bringing all that you are and possess into life’s arena—all the time—confident you are secure in Christ.

As I walked, I retraced my mental steps: I am abrasive when I leverage, overstate, and posture from the belief that I will be better or worse dependent upon an outcome.

Abrasiveness is based upon insecurity.

Persistence is based upon security.

Because I’m secure, I’m free to fully apply my talents, endowments, gifts, and abilities.