Amos and Hayley Johnson share how the perseverance they see around them encourages them in challenging times.

Lately, our family challenge has been in perseverance. We find ourselves appreciating the encouragement and support from each other and from friends and family that helps us keep going. Perseverance is the act of persistence in doing something despite the difficulties or delays in achieving success. It’s different from obsession or preoccupation because although perseverance has a goal, it includes keeping healthy relationships with each other, our family and the community.

We sold our house in 2019. It was our first house and although we were proud of it, we were ready to move on. We needed more space for our growing family. Eighteen months later we are still looking. We’ve made 13 offers. We’ve been to hundreds of open homes and we’ve spent countless hours trolling Trade Me Property.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant housing crisis has had a significant impact on our house search. However, we're just one family among many, turning up at open days hoping to be able to buy a home.

With every house we like, we go through all the emotions. There’s excitement when we begin hoping that this house this could be ours. Then the reasoning — can we afford this place? Is it the right fit for us? Followed by fear — is our offer high enough? And finally disappointment and anguish when the latest house we’ve offered on gets sold to someone else. Sometimes, we feel disbelief when we hear the final price!

Despite the setbacks, we keep searching and remain hopeful that soon we will feel the emotion of success and be able to move into our new home. In the meantime, we are among the many families still searching.

This house hunt is just one example of perseverance in our family unit. Our children also demonstrate persistence in reaching their many developmental milestones. Our nine-month-old is attempting to walk. She spends all day coasting along the couch, coffee table and various chairs. She often slips, misses and falls in her attempts to be mobile. However, she gets up and tries again and one day soon, she will succeed in walking and we will delight in her success.

Likewise, our four-year-old son is learning to ride a pedal bike. Steering and pedalling at the same time seem to be the biggest obstacle for him to overcome. But he’s keen and continues to practise, roping us in to help him. He’s not letting skinned knees and falls deter him. Due to his persistence he will soon master this new skill and be racing along the road.

Both of us work as physiotherapists. We are inspired by our patients’ resilience and determination. Their goals can vary from learning to walk again following a stroke, or returning to sport after injury or surgery. Successful rehabilitation requires mental, physical and emotional persistence often through pain, exhaustion and the feeling that there is no end in sight. We feel privileged in being able to support our patients through the challenges they face and also gratitude in being able to share in the joy of their progress and achievements with them and their whānau.

On a global scale, people are persevering with the difficulties of the pandemic. Health professionals at the front line are managing severely ill COVID-19 patients in health systems that are almost to capacity. Families are separated by borders and bubbles.

Children are disconnected from their social networks when play centres and schools are closed.

Parents are trying to support their children's online learning at the same time as they are working fulltime from home.

Businesses are endeavouring to stay buoyant despite changing restrictions on their operations.

Many people have been made unemployed due to the collapse of industries and sectors. They are searching for work.

In the face of these challenges people everywhere are persevering with humour, hope and kindness.

Perhaps this is our opportunity to reflect on the importance of persisting — to learn not to give up because of mistakes, to appreciate the gains we make along the way, to encourage one another when we need hard work to achieve our goals and to be inspired by those in our communities whose perseverance we admire.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 257 March 2021: 12