06/13/2026
From Shirley’s Office
“QWERTY spells Perseverance"
If you’ve typed a document, you recognize QWERTY. Those are the letters on the top left row of your computer. But did you know they illustrate the value of perseverance?
Christopher Sholes was a typesetter, originally from Pennsylvania. He had the tedious job of arranging metal letters on wooden blocks and inking them to print newspapers. As Sholes worked, he wondered how the job could be made easier.
He worked on a design for a typewriter for five years and then sold it to Re*****on for $12,000, so he never really profited from it. Other typewriters had been invented before his, but his used the QWERTY keyboard design. Fingers eventually danced across QUERTY on all typewriters, I-Pads, and computers.
Perseverance. Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines it as “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure or opposition.”
It’s the opposite of jitterbugging. More like a slow waltz around and around and around the room. Life in general requires perseverance. So how can we get it if we don’t have it?
–Keep your end goal in mind. Christopher Sholes wanted to make life easier for himself and other typesetters. An admirable goal. So he kept at it, and at it, and at it. And you can too.
For instance, maybe you want to learn to dance so you can dance at a wedding. Maybe you have a temper-tandrum child, and you want to train them to get along with playmates. Perhaps you want to do well at that tedious typesetting job so that you can seek an advancement. For whatever the reason, you need perseverance. So keep that end goal in mind.
"Those who have had to wait and work for happiness seem to enjoy it more, because they never take it for granted." Barbara Johnson
–Break a goal into small steps. Learn to slow dance before you try to tango. Ask your child to try to get through one day without losing their temper. Promise yourself a reward after you work at your tedious job for an hour or two.
–Work on building character as you persevere: “You know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:3-4 NIV).
--Instead of feeling irritated about your situation, notice something positive and think about that. Talk to someone else with the same type of challenge and ask how they approach the task without losing heart.
In his book WAITING ON GOD, Wayne Stiles tells the story of biblical Joseph whose brothers sold him to Ishmaelite traders. For thirteen years, he persevered through one predicament after another until he became second to Pharoah in ruling Egypt. Stiles explains how Joseph's relationship with God gave him a taproot from which he drew strength. That same taproot is available to us.
Christopher Sholes never dreamed that his keyboard would someday enable people to communicate around the world at the click of a key. And you may never dream about the rewards you’ll gain by persevering. Not to mention, others may receive great blessings from your perseverance just as they did from Sholes'.
Keep in mind: Quitting isn’t an option, and God will supply the strength you need to reach your goals.
