If prayer is communication with God, then there is a way in which our communication with anyone may be sanctified. Holy words are not merely shared with God, but can be shared with anyone else. Our method of communication matters. Just as we should not expect our communication with God to be frivolous or meaningless, we should be careful not to be frivolous in the ways we speak with our neighbors. Many times throughout the Gospels, Jesus speaks on precisely how we should communicate with God in prayer; he insists that we should be persistent. God wants to help you and God wants to listen to you, but persistence is a very clear way to indicate that you are serious about that for which you are asking. However, Jesus will always use parables and analogies when sharing this teaching that points to two human beings in communication, where one is persistent and the other listens simply out of exhaustion. 

If persistence sanctifies our prayers with God, does persistence sanctify our communication with our neighbors? Humans are not nearly as patient or as loving as God, which is clearly indicated in these parables and analogies shared by Christ. If we are too persistent, we may come across as needy or inappropriate to others. Therefore, the only way we can get them to respond is by becoming exasperated at our efforts. This isn’t healthy. Still, persistence is something that we should incorporate in our communication with everyone, not just God. Persistence implies a sense of need, and presenting your needs to another is to humble yourself before them. While not everyone can solve all of our problems for us, by being persistent with our needs, we are giving our neighbor an opportunity to serve us with the hope that we would do just the same if they had approached us in a similar way. Our relationship with our neighbors is also a little bit different than our relationship with God; we are completely helpless without God and completely dependent on His aid, but we have a very reciprocal relationship with other human beings that requires both giving and receiving. So with our neighbors, persistence keeps our relationships strong while enabling the giving and receiving nature of them.

Persistence can appear annoying. It can appear overbearing and frustrating. But it only appears as such in one way: if our persistence is contrary to the good. There is a possibility that we are persistent in things that are not good for us, in which case we need our neighbor to deny us and to correct us. On the other hand, if we are persistent in something that is good but our neighbor is not receptive to goodness, they will be just as frustrated or annoyed. John describes the Christian community in this third letter as co-workers in Truth. If we are going to live for and elevate as the center of our lives truth, beauty, and goodness, we must do so together. When someone is persistent with you regarding their need for truth, beauty, and goodness, bear with them patiently. When you are in need of truth, beauty, or goodness, ask God and neighbor for help, and do so with persistence. We need to work together. We need to communicate clearly and humbly about our needs to the community. Persistence is key.