As Christians, we have many expectations. We read about blessings, about peace, about a bright future and a purpose.
But, how about endurance?
In my Bible study last year, I learned that a theme that repeats over and over in the Bible is endurance. According to the website, Knowing Jesus, the words endurance and endure occur 180 times in the Bible.
Somehow, I never learned that in Sunday School. To be honest, I don’t believe I taught it either. But, if you read the Bible in its entirety, you quickly pick up the theme.
People fearful that they wouldn’t be able to endure.
People praying that they and their children will endure.
Promises from God that the obedient will be able to endure.
Messages to kings that they will not endure.
So what is endurance? And, why is it so prevalent in the Bible?
Dictionary.com defines endure as, “To hold out against, to bear without resistance or with patience. To tolerate. To last. To suffer without yielding, to suffer patiently. “ Not exactly the most uplifting theme.
But, when you closely examine this theme, it contains all of our hope.
When God tells us to endure, He is not telling us to look inward, to buck up, to have a stiff upper lip. No. When God tells us to endure, he is telling us that rough days are ahead. They are always out there somewhere, and we eventually arrive at them.
But, the promise He makes to those who believe in Jesus is that He will give us the strength not only to get through those days but to thrive in them. The key is that our strength is in Him, not in ourselves. Much like a tree next to a river, the tree drives its roots into the soil next to the river so that it can pull that water up and thrive.
Strong winds, fire, and draught might come, but the tree will thrive because it draws the water from its river.
I think as Christians, we often seek a life of ease. A minister I listen to refers to this desire of ease as “retiring to the lake house.” But, he quickly points out as Christians, our purpose in life is not to have a life of ease. Instead, it is to point the world to Christ. And, we live in a world that stands in opposition to Christ. When our purpose is to represent something the world opposes, we will not have a life of ease if we do our job well.
But, Jesus reminds us in that He has overcome the world. The victory has been won. We are here to point to Christ, so that in the end, we become signposts pointing the way by the lives we live, the prayers we offer, and the deeds we do.
So, a new expectation I am cultivating is to endure. To enjoy life along the way because my strength and hope is in the Lord. He never fails us. When we anticipate hard times, we can reframe them as periods of growth—and endurance. When we realize that we are not to live with the primary goal of retiring to a lake house, that our life’s purpose is not to live in ease, when we fully embrace the goal of living in Christ so as to show His love and His ways to a desperate world, we find our meaning. And, when we put roots deep in this river of living water, we find true joy. So, endurance is not painful. It leads to joy. Endurance leads to growth. It is a journey with a purpose.
A final definition Dictionary.com provides for “endure” is “to have or gain continued or lasting acknowledgment or recognition, as of worth, merit, or greatness,” as in “His plays have endured for more than three centuries.”
This definition of endure applies beautifully to our faith. Because Christ endured the cross, because He lives in us, our faith will endure. It is a fact, a promise. Faith. Joy. Everlasting life. Heaven.
However, endurance does not always feel joyous. Sometimes it is heavy. As we endure, we slog it out. Certainly, enduring this pandemic has felt like this.
What I encourage you to do while you endure is to find oases along the way, bright landing spots that offer peace and refreshment.
Here is an example of an oasis you can enjoy for this month.
Take a few minutes to look ahead. What are you looking forward to when the restrictions of this pandemic are finally lifted? What have you missed most? What brings moments of joy to your life? Here are a few that I look forward to:
Seeing my parents in real time and having dinner and conversation with them
Going to church
Torching my face masks
Going out to eat
Hugs
Travel
Crowds
Baseball games in a stadium filled with fans
Coffee with Friends
Being with humanity and seeing faces—even if I don’t know the individuals
This list brings me happiness. Contemplating it is an oasis as I endure this pandemic.
Your turn. Develop your list. Review it when you feel blue and realize that soon, very soon, this will be yours. Endure joyously. Live your best life in Christ. Grow Thrive. This is what Christian endurance looks like. And, that is why, in spite of itself, the world finds this pure joy through Christ magnetic.