Endurance

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;  (Hebrews 10:23 NASB)

When I was 14, I made up my mind to lose weight. I wasn’t happy with how I looked so I decided to drop some pounds and get in shape. I adopted a home workout routine that I read about in a magazine. I did 18 jumping jacks, squats, and sprints everyday.  Rain or shine, I was committed.  I began to lose weight fast, and within a year, I lost 90 pounds.  I was happy with how I looked but I quickly realized that there were problems.  I begin developing terrible heartburn; it was so bad that, at one point, I thought I had an ulcer.  Even though I was working out regularly, my diet didn’t really change.  My food portions were smaller but the quality of food I was eating was still bad. I still ate biscuits for breakfast and ice cream for dessert every day.  Once I started college, I began gaining the weight back; not quickly but little by little.  Within a few years I had gained about 20 pounds back.  My workout routine faded and my goal of staying thin was starting to vanish.  I failed to learn endurance.

When I think about the Christian journey, I think of a marathon runner who has to have endurance to finish the race.  I’ve never ran in one, but I can imagine some of the preparation that goes into it. You have to start training months in advance to build up stamina in order to complete the 26 miles that make up the race. You adopt a diet of fruits, vegetables, & protein to give yourself strength. Whatever practices you take up, you are striving for endurance. The goal is to finish the race; anything less would be considered a failure.

In order to achieve endurance, you must persevere in spite of obstacles. No matter how hard one trains, there will be obstacles. I can remember a few times when I would be working out and feel a twinge in my leg or arm. Most likely I was pushing my body too hard so it was giving me a warning sign to slow down. If you are competitive like I am, you don’t want to slow down. All I could think of was achieving the goal that I set for myself, but I knew that if I took a break to rest, I would give myself a chance to persevere for the long run.  It would allow me to avoid an injury that would sideline me for weeks or months. Even as hard as it was to take a break and wait, I knew it would be the key to be able to persevere for the long haul.

As a Christian, I’ve had seasons where it seemed like there would never be an end to obstacles. I’ve been in seasons where God seemed very distant no matter how hard or long I prayed.  I’ve had a season where a loved one passed away, and a season where I lost a job. It felt like I was getting up on the wrong side of the bed everyday. There seemed to be no end sight of my trials. Even though I felt weary, I found comfort in Hebrews 10:23 which says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”  It reminds me to hold fast to what I believe.  To stay strong no matter what because God is faithful. In moments when I couldn’t feel His presence, I had to remind myself that He is near.  He is unchanging and unwavering, I just need to have faith.

One of my favorite examples of faith in the midst of obstacles is found in Lamentations 3, where the prophet Jeremiah is lamenting about Israel’s affliction. He spends the first 18 verses sharing about how he has seen affliction and how his strength and hope have perished. In verse 19, his outlook changes and this beautiful picture of God’s faithfulness is remembered. I love verses 20-26 that say,

20 Surely my soul remembers

And is bowed down within me.

21 This I recall to my mind,

Therefore I have hope.

22 The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease,

For His compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I have hope in Him.”

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the person who seeks Him.

26 It is good that he waits silently

For the salvation of the Lord.

Verses 24-26 are so beautiful.  It is such a great feeling to know that God is good to His people, we just have to wait.  I know waiting is not something that I enjoy doing but as I’ve gotten older, and hopefully wiser, I’ve come to understand that waiting can be good. There are times I wonder why God is making me wait a long time for something, but I have to keep telling myself to have faith. He has never let me down and I know He is not about to start. Even when I do feel like He has turned a blind eye, it ends up serving as a teaching moment in faith.

Those times when I felt like God was trying to teach me something have been some of the most vulnerable moments for me.  I’ve felt weak because I knew I was waiting for something I believed in but didn’t have a time table for.  It pushed me to rely on Him and let His strength carry me because I was becoming weary.  It reminds me of a verse found in a song titled, “Ever Be” by Bethel Church.  It goes like this,

You Father the orphan

Your kindness makes us whole

You shoulder our weakness

And Your strength becomes our own

You’re making me like you

Clothing me in white

Bringing beauty from ashes

For You will have Your bride

I love the line that says, “You shoulder our weakness, and Your strength becomes our own.You’re making me like you…”  God is reaching down to help us up, giving us a chance to finish strong.