Endurance - Running to Win? But I'm tired.

Endurance is another word that’s been rattling around the vacant space between my ears recently. I’m not quite positive how the rattling began, but I can tell you one thing for sure about endurance; It’s not something I have a great deal of lately.

I’m tired. As the world spins further and further out of control, what happens next? The endless chirping of the 24-hour news cycle of riots, protests, and everything else “gloom-and-doom” that dominates the headlines today is exhausting. What does the Bible say about “enduring” when things get this crazy?

Here’s an example: Romans 5:3 says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance (the strength to endure?).” Colossians 1:11 says, “Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.” There’s that word again. Endurance.

The Bible has plenty of examples of endurance and perseverance. Let’s look at one example.

Nathan Parker of Park Place Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas, calls Abraham “the man of endurance.” Abraham didn’t become a father for the first time until he was 100 years old. God first promised Abraham a son in his “old age” and Abraham “believed in the Lord.” However, a year went by and there was no child.

Abraham kept running. Two years went by and still no newborn. Still, he faithfully kept going. Sometimes that’s all we can do, right? Despite a major life stumble around the mid-race point (see Genesis 16 for the unfortunate details), Abraham kept on running. For 25 years, he kept running until he and Sarah finally had a son. There appears to be some dispute as to how old Sarah was, but most sources seem to agree she was in her 90s.

Why the long wait? Apparently, God wanted Abraham to trust in Him and His timing. Doesn’t it seem that when God is trying to teach us that lesson, He always waits till we grow impatient with Him? We humans just don’t seem to have the innate ability to trust Him consistently.

We all run this race at our own speed, don't we?

There are plenty of examples of endurance outside the Bible. Remember Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States? Don’t worry, I didn’t know he was number seven either until I looked it up. Quora.com calls him “a man who overcame during a lifetime of adversity and defeated the power structure to win the White House.”

There’s a story from the “Our Daily Bread” devotional that says Jackson’s childhood friends couldn’t understand how he became a famous general who then went on to win the White House. They knew of a lot of other guys with much-greater talent who never succeeded. One of Jackson’s friends said, “Why, Jim Brown lived right down the pike from Jackson. Brown was not only smarter but could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match. But look where Andy is now.”

Another friend said, “What happened during the fourth time? Don’t people usually go three times and out?” They said something rather interesting; Andrew Jackson would never admit he was beaten. “He would never stay ‘throwed,’” they said. “Jim Brown would get tired and on the fourth try, Jackson would throw him and be the winner.”

Picking up on that idea, I guess the lesson learned in life is not about how many times you get “throwed,” but whether you’re willing to stay “throwed.” We WILL face setbacks, but we MUST take courage and go forward in faith. It doesn’t mean we don’t feel fear. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be the eventual victor. The battle is the Lord’s, so it’s not okay to stay “throwed.”

No one said the race would be easy. Leave it to the Greeks to come up with the perfect word. The author of Hebrews chooses the metaphor of a long-distance race to illustrate the Christian life. What a perfect description. It’s a matter of endurance (that word again!), struggle, and difficulty. But it’s not without at least some victory.

There is victory now and there’s victory when we cross the finish line and enter heaven – between now and then it’s a struggle. That might be one of the reasons why we have an English word we borrowed from the Greek word in the original Biblical text for “race.” The author of Hebrews says, ”Let’s run the agona.” Agona is the Greek word for race. Does that sound like an English word you’ve heard before? How about “agony?” If you’ve ever run long distances, that’s the perfect description!

I wish I had a perfect answer to help you with endurance. One thing I have learned in just shy of a half-century involves Romans 8:28… “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” That means ALL things. The persecution. The illness. The tragedy. Any difficulty you can think of. Any kind of difficulty this sin-scarred world can throw at you or the people close to you. That verse won’t take away the burden, but it will help you bear the burden if you keep it close to your heart.

Look at the Apostle Paul. He was imprisoned virtually everywhere he went, over and over again. He was beaten multiple times, shipwrecked, and generally had a rough life after accepting Christ. While going through an amazing list of difficulties, he continually praised God. That gave him the strength to endure more severe challenges than any three people to walk on this Earth.

Maybe that’s the key? How about we learn to praise God in ANY situation we find ourselves in? It’s not going to be easy. We will fail, at times. Jesus knows a thing or two about endurance. Would He make a good example?

Hebrews 12:7 says, “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Look to Jesus first. He knows how to endure, and He is READY to give you the strength you’ll need to endure the race (agony) we’re all running.