Having just returned from teaching an eight-day module in Haiti, I can say that I have witnessed unusual endurance. With two-hour classes scheduled from 6:30 a.m. to 9:40 p.m. this cohort of fifteen men crossed the finish line with a sense of accomplishment and joy. Sadly, in our culture endurance is a virtue that is fading. A commitment is kept only until something more pleasurable presents itself. We like to keep our options open. But David asserts that the one who dwells in God’s presence is one who will keep a promise even if it hurts (Ps. 15:1-4). The biblical virtue of steadfastness is a growing resolve in the face of difficulty, but the resolve is not based on personal grit, it is based on hope – an expected outcome. Such hope is not the product of wishful thinking, but of a trustworthy promise.
James teaches us that true endurance is directly related to wisdom and faith (James 1:2-6). It is the Lord who gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding (Prov. 2:6). This wisdom is the knowledge of God’s plans and purposes – knowing the direction and meaning of life. Faith, then, is taking God at his word and entrusting yourself to him – especially during difficult times. James promises us that constant trust in the wisdom of God is what produces steadfastness in us. Such steadfastness makes us complete and mature individuals showing integrity and focus instead of being tossed by the distracting waves of ideas or circumstances.
This is the intent of discipline – the discipline necessary to be a world-class athlete, or a fine musician. Why do some musicians or athletes excel while others remain mediocre? In his book The Social Animal, David Brooks points to research revealing that the common denominator in attaining excellence in a field is a long-term commitment to discipline and practice.* For the child of the loving, benevolent Sovereign, “discipline and practice” is the endurance in the rigors of daily struggle and hardship by entrusting yourself to the promises and purposes of God. In high school, I never came away from basketball practice without feeling some level of pain. I did not set out to find ways to avoid that pain, instead I cherished it as a means of development toward a desired end.
Move toward a life of integrity and excellence in a culture bent on image and comfort. Here is the promise in which you can anchor your hope for your daily endurance: this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (2 Cor. 4:17).
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*David Brooks, The Social Animal (Random House, 2011), pp. 134-135
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