Proverbs 25:15 "By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone."
I had been working at my first job out of high school for about two months when
my boss and I were talking. He told me that the only reason he hired me was
because every day for a solid week, I would beat him there to the store each
morning. I was waiting for him to arrive in order to ask him for a job. I guess
he finally got tired of seeing me the first thing each day and decided to give
me a try. "By long forbearing is a prince persuaded."
Persistence can be a very useful trait; yet, at the same time there seems
to be a balance that needs to be found. "Hast thou found honey? eat so
much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.
(17) Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house; lest he be weary
of thee, and so hate thee." (Proverbs 15:16-17) It seems that
Solomon is telling us to be persistent, but also know when to stop. My
being at the tire store every morning worked, but it could have easily worked
against me. My boss could have said, "No! and don't come back."
I think it is important to take notice of both our needs and the response
we are getting. Using the last two verses, we must be aware of the situation.
Honey gives us notice when the belly has had enough. We need to pay attention
and stop eating when the belly says, "I've had enough." It is the
same principle when in the company of others. There are usually signs to let us
know when it is time to take leave. I heard of a man one time who was getting
weary of his company. He said to his wife, "Honey, I guess we need to go
to bed so these folks can go home." Persistence is important, but
appreciation of the other person's time is also important. I suppose we should
be considerately persistent.