2020 was an eventful year. That’s, of course, putting it mildly. 2020 had no shortage of significant events and you could be forgiven for not recalling many of them, like the launch of NASA’s Mars rover, Perseverance, on July 30, 2020, from Cape Canaveral. The battery-powered rover has been diligently searching for signs of ancient life and liquid water in the Jerero Crater on Mars since it touched down on February 18, 2021, at 20:55 UTC. The successful landing was the culmination of a 203-day journey from Earth. For “seven minutes of terror,” the landing occurred without assistance as the speed of the sequence exceeds the speed at which radio signals can be transmitted from Earth. In the midst of hills, rock fields, dunes, and the crater’s walls, the landing was an astonishing success.

Perseverance has faithfully gathered its samples on the “Red Planet” and is now ready to return to Earth. These samples could provide clues to some much-debated mysteries: Has Mars supported life in the past, and could it in the future? However, at the time of writing, the Perseverance team has had a significant setback, a challenge, a delay in achieving success: They aren’t quite sure how to bring the rover home. They now project Perseverance will return no sooner than 2040. Ironically enough, the rover requires perseverance in the face of unforeseen difficulty. NASA has solicited help on producing novel methods of reclaiming the three-meter-long machine. If you have any ideas, I think they’d welcome them.

Perseverance, or steadfastness despite difficulty, is a critical virtue for humans. Perseverance is not only a skill, but a disciplined choice rooted in faith. Testing produces perseverance. Perseverance helps us lack nothing. As a mental health professional, I am continually on the receiving end of stories of perseverance. I’m honored to sit with those who have been through the worst kinds of lived experiences imaginable. I get to co-create meaning with these persevering people while they are figuring it out. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.

People with perseverance have often taken strides in steadfast gratitude, built supportive social connections and subscribed to a sense of purpose. I think of these actions as protective factors against difficulties in life. Most folks who bounce back after adversity have practiced these actions. Most of them have not been journeying on an easy road. They have learned to rely on their healthy practices for stability, and almost all of them have those practices rooted in their Christian faith.

Practice Steadfast Gratitude

Gratitude is the acknowledgment of daily gifts, both big and small. Gratitude is widely known for its benefits in both secular and Christian circles. It activates the brain’s reward system. Expressing gratitude in any way—thought, word or deed—releases dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters associated with reward and pleasure, which help our mood and overall well-being.

Dopamine seems to be having a moment in the zeitgeist. It can be helpful to know that when you take the time to express gratitude and truly feel it in the body, you are giving yourself a natural antidepressant. It fosters cognitive restructuring by evoking positive thinking and reduces fear and anxiety by regulating cortisol, the stress hormone.

In addition, expressing gratitude not only releases dopamine, but releases it in a healthy, measured release instead of a large “hit” of dopamine. When we experience smaller amounts of dopamine, the brain responds much better and is not desensitized to it.

Build Supportive Social Connections

Supportive social connections are another crucial resource my clients rely on during adversity. There is healing when we are together, especially amid the biggest epidemic of our time: loneliness. We are more reachable than ever before and yet more disconnected at the same time. Unfortunately, our Western culture has made self-sufficiency the gold standard of success, harming us from the inside out. Many are suffering in silence while showing their highlight reel to the masses.

My clients don’t always have a large circle of friends. They typically have one to three people they can rely on during the joys and sorrows of life. They can be vulnerable in celebration and heartache. Research tells us that having just one person you can turn to for support can significantly predict well-being and protect against mental health challenges, such as depression and anxiety. Blood pressure reactivity is lower when people talk to a supportive friend. People perceive hills as easier to climb when walking with a friend and not alone—literally and figuratively. Fortunately, research also suggests friendships can be made and maintained at any age. Ideally, friendships are made with folks who share the same values, given that friendships can be highly formative, both mentally and physically.

Subscribe to a Sense of Purpose

Subscribing to a sense of purpose is deliberately and intentionally making an effort to discern who God made you to be and what that assignment is right now. Viktor Frankl, concentration camp prisoner #119104, noticed that fellow prisoners who had a sense of purpose showed greater resilience to the torture, slave labor and starvation rations to which they were subjected. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) states, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This sense of divine purpose will drive Christians to persist through difficulties.

When we acknowledge our role in the big picture, we embrace an others-first mindset. Our sinful nature can tempt us to curve inward. When times are adverse for my clients, when things suddenly happen while they are deflated and it feels unfair, a sense of purpose often propels them forward. The world seems to be constantly screaming, “What about you?” But Jesus conversely asks us to deny ourselves.

I find common barriers to perseverance are often feelings of despair, burnout and spiritual dryness. I think of these barriers as risk factors for getting stuck in the difficulty. When we focus on the problem and don’t feel safe enough to release the negative feelings, the body keeps an inward count which can lead to despair, burnout and spiritual dryness. Our culture keeps us busy, always producing and never stopping. Throughout the Gospels, there are examples of Jesus going off on His own to rest and to pray. Jesus left crowds and set boundaries as a human. When we do not pause, it begs the question, do we trust God or do we not? Do we trust Him to take care of the most precious things and precious ones in our lives while we retreat?

Might we live so that the truth of Scripture is actualized in practice and community? Might we be awakened to an awareness of God in our difficulty? Our prayer life must center on reason, reflection and honesty. When we come to God with our problems, propensities and praises, intimacy follows.

Perhaps, like me, you’ve wondered why the name “Perseverance” was given to a 1,025-kilogram RC car. Actually, a northern Virginia seventh grader named it. His winning entry in NASA’s naming contest read, “We as humans will learn to adapt to any situation, no matter how harsh.” We know we will have trouble in this world, but no matter how harsh we can adapt, not because of our ability to do so; instead, because we know the One who inspires, sustains and blesses our adaptation – our perseverance. 

This article was originally titled “Beyond the Landing: The Journey of Perseverance” in the September 2024 issue of The War Cry.