Seth Godin says, “Persistence isn’t using the same tactics over and over. That’s just annoying. Persistence is having the same goal over and over.”

Not that it needs elaboration, but Seth is saying that persistence (and the success that persistence leads to) requires unwavering focus on the end result, not on the strategies we use for getting there.

Are you driven by goals or strategies?

When success is elusive, we’re sometimes tempted to dump the goal: “We just can’t reach young people; we just can’t build community in our congregation; we just can’t have an effective discipleship ministry.”

It’s usually not the goal that needs to be re-evaluated, it’s the methodology.

Once you’ve nailed down a goal, and you know that it’s worthwhile, don’t abandon it. Just change your approach when you need to. Goals, not strategies, require persistence.

“I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us up to heaven.” (Philippians 3:14)