American President John Quincy Adams once said, "Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." Have you ever witnessed the magical effect of patience and perseverance?

One North Carolina church wanted to purchase some property. The church regularly suffered from high tide flooding. But when the church was built over a hundred years ago, they couldn't afford better property.

As the story is told, they finally decided to relocate to higher ground. An ideal lot was empty ~ actually the highest ground in town. It belonged to a man named Sam. Officials from the church went to see Sam about selling the property. He politely told them it wasn't for sale; that he had other plans for the land.

The church looked elsewhere, but nothing satisfactory could be found. So they went back to Sam and made another offer. Again they were refused.

Then an unusual thing happened. One of the worst coastal floods in memory struck the town. As water rose, the church began to float. It left its coastal lot and started inward. It floated down the main street, turned a corner and eventually landed right on Sam's empty property.

Sam gave in. He allowed the building to stay and, if you were to ask a former member of North Carolina's old Swanquarter Methodist Church how they came to acquire their land, they may relate what Sam said about the transaction: "I guess if the good Lord couldn't move me to give the land to the church, He would move the church to the land."

The flame and the cross - symbol of the United Methodist Church

Even John Quincy Adams might have been amazed at the "magical effect" before which the church's obstacles disappeared.

I believe it was basketball great Michael Jordan who said, "If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work your way around it."

It's about patience and perseverance. (And it can't hurt to have a little faith.)

by Steve Goodier
Life Support Systems
Used with permission

"God will make a way where there seems to be no way.
He works in ways we cannot see. He will make a way for me."
by Don Moen

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