You made it through week two of the challenge! I hope you've felt a boost of confidence and a whole lotta Holy Spirit over the last seven days. You're well on your way to seeing your progress really take off, so keep it up and keep the faith! Today we're taking a refresher course on endurance. I'm a sucker for research. When studying for this week's devotional, I took note of the definitions for endurance and endure.
en●dur●ance [noun] - the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way
en●dure [verb] - suffer (something painful or difficult) patiently
pa●tient [adjective] - able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious
I threw in the definition for patient as well because it ended up being necessary, as I'm sure you noted when you read it. When you think about your personality, or the things that you like about yourself, does that fact that you're good at suffering patiently come up? If it does, bless you, let's be best friends so you can teach me your ways. I need someone like you in my life! If that doesn't sound like you though (because God knows that doesn't sound like me), let's be best friends. I get you; let's take on this challenge together!
I love how God uses the perfect words; don't you? You may have to look through several layers, but when you do that AHA! moment is always spectacular. Even when it pings your heart a little (or a lot). I admit, I wanted to be able to come at you with a super positive, super-duper comfy-cozy devotion, but the truth bombs kept blowing my mind and convicting me of the ways I haven't been the most patient at enduring. We're just 14 days into February, so if you've not had the best month so far, take heart. When the going gets tough it means you are ALIVE!
God didn't make us with superhuman strength to be able to do great things. God made us to rely on His strength to do hard things. Hard things look different person to person. My hard may be laughably easy to you, and your hard may be unfathomable to my little mind. Chances are, even though you have the best of intentions, life will still get in your way. It will tempt you, test you, try you, and just flat out surprise you (and not in the best ways).
I'll be honest, I am especially lacking in patient endurance when it comes to my three children. I used to always pray for more patience but felt like things kept getting more and more chaotic until my eyes were opened and I realized this: God doesn't always hand us the finished product, He gives us the tools instead. He lets us experience unpleasant and difficult things, even pain, in order to teach us how to endure and obtain the fruit of the Spirit that follows.
It all comes down to experience. Would an employer hire someone with zero experience for an important job? Not likely. On the other hand, would a parent tell a toddler to give up walking after that first wobbly step toppled them to the ground? No; they keep encouraging them to get up and keep trying. The toddler will end up running all over the place eventually. The great thing about being a child is having grownups around who care for and encourage you, and discipline you when you need it. I had a right difficult time learning to count money in first grade. I absolutely hated it. It sucked the fun out of the school-loving little girl that I was for a time. However, one teacher thought it would be fun to make a pretend store with me and taught me how to count money by making it seem like playtime. It was nice having that extra hand to guide me looking back. Luckily, my experience was fun in the end and I made it out of the first grade ready to handle money like the treasurer. In real life, not everything can be as fun as playing store. But we still have someone on our side.
God is our Father. He's going to get us through the unpleasant, difficult, and painful situations. The problem is at times, our attitude really stinks. Being a grownup can often mean giving up because no one is there to stop you. For example, that one time I tried and couldn't lose the first five pounds, no one was there to tell me to keep going and not eat my feelings of defeat. That is my all-too-well-known scenario, but you can probably think of your own right now, too. You messed up, maybe not even intentionally, and then you blow off the rest because you think you should be able to flip a switch and be "better" and do "right" without all the mess in between.
Have you heard the phrase "nothing worth having comes easy?" There is wisdom there. Nothing makes you feel more confident and capable than when you reach a goal you've sweated and sacrificed for. Some people run on Dunkin' but you and I are going to be running on Truth. Even when the Truth says, "endure patiently" and we know there's no way in Heaven we can do that alone.
Ecclesiastes came to mind while I was studying endurance. 3:1-8 is often quoted regarding a time for every occasion. "A time to be born and a time to die... a time to tear down and a time to build... a time to weep and a time to laugh.. a time to mourn and a time to dance... a time to read and a time to sow... a time for war and a time for peace."
It's obvious these verses are contrasting good things with "bad" things, pleasant with unpleasant, easy with difficult, pleasure with pain. What's more is that each part makes a whole. You can't understand what pleasure is without pain, joy without sadness. God determines the seasons for everything in Heaven and below it. We have the choice to respond to each season with wisdom and the right perspective. And yet, how comforting to know that when things get unpleasant, difficult, and painful, God is still there.
When Paul was writing to the church of Rome, he was teaching that peace and hope were certain, absolute factors in our lives after accepting Jesus Christ. He encourages them to find joy in affliction and hardship. It won't be easy, but in doing so we build character and mature as Christian men and women. When we endure patiently, we are standing firm in our faith regardless of what season of life we are experiencing. Such endurance builds our character and in turn produces hope that proves God'ts faithfulness in all things.
As with any goal, endurance is a fraction of the equation necessary for progress. You can't have change without a challenge. This humble little challenge may be a stepping stone to help each of us endure with a little more patience. We may not have very much to lose if we don't complete it or finish strong, but imagine what hope we could experience if we were to accept a little unpleasantness in exchange for growing into a more Christ-like person.
Don't give in, Reader. Don't hesitate to push yourself a little more each day, to go the extra mile. Don't fear what you could possibly be missing out on, but show up for yourself each day. Small steps are all it takes. Over the coming weeks it will add up to quite a lengthy journey indeed! And when you feel like you're in the trenches, God is there with you. Lean on Him to strengthen and sustain you as you endure patiently whatever life throws at you.
