Stubborn vs. Steadfast

Don't copy the behavior and customs

of this world, but let God transform

you into a new person by changing the

way you think. Then you will learn to

know God's will for you, which is

good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2

I had an epiphany the other day. I came to the realization that stubborn and steadfast are about the same thing just used in different context. A couple weeks ago I was listening to the radio and the lady was talking about her two year old who was acting stubborn. Apparently, the little girl hit her grandma and didn't want to say sorry. She was talking about how hard it was for her to get the girl to say sorry and how they prayed together until finally the girl came around. She was also commenting on how her daughter gets her stubbornness from her. This got me thinking.

While I was married to my husband, he used to call me stubborn. His parents would "bug" me about learning Spanish (his family was from Puerto Rico) and I was resistant (to say the least). I didn't care for the idea of someone telling me to learn something because they thought I should. I would learn when and if I wanted to, on my own time. Either way, he used to tell me I was stubborn.

Growing up I've always felt separate or different from many of my peers. I was never one to follow along with being boy crazy, into drinking or partying. And I'm still not. I have my standards (or values) and I choose to keep to them. This is what lead me to comparing my stubbornness with steadfastness. What I came to realize was the same force keeping me from "learning Spanish" was the same force that keeps me from compromising my values. Call it stubbornness or steadfastness, for me they are the same. They both represent my unwillingness to change to please other people and a firmness about who I am and try to be. I will most certainly fail on occasion but I will keep persevering until I am who I am.

I wish I could have realized this earlier while I was listening to the radio show. The strength of will her daughter was showing was really a blessing. What she needed to learn was how to help her daughter choose when her stubbornness was appropriate and when she need to give in and say sorry.

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