Developing endurance is an important exercise. You will need it in so many areas and having it will make your life far more pleasant.
Endurance is defined as the inward strength to withstand stress to accomplish God’s best. Even when we are weary or tired, we must remember the goal, remember why we started and stick with it! The opposite of enduring is giving up. There’s absolutely no stick-to-it-ive-ness in giving up. No strength building, no blind faith, nothing but self service.
Developing endurance is not something you do overnight, but through recognizing everyday opportunities to practice and strengthen it.
Good Things Take Time
It blows my mind how all the good things take time – healing, learning new skills, pursuing new goals, growing relationships, etc. I certainly don’t mean to be impatient, I just like to see progress!
And maybe that’s the point entirely: things take time to grow our endurance. Will we stick to our goal, our commitment to make better choices, be faithful in our studies, etc, in order to reap the rewards? All those things require endurance. It’s not punishment for us to need to work in this area, but rather, as I believe is always the case, to draw our attention back to God.
Think about that for just a moment. Can you imagine a better place for our attention to be? I don’t know about you, but I love to be needed. And for the Creator of the universe to want the attention of each of His people on an individual level is such a precious gift.
The beauty of developing endurance is that it strengthens so many other areas as well! It grows our patience, our steadfastness, our resolve, softens our hearts towards what God has for us, strengthens our faith, etc. And isn’t that so like God, to make it that when we practice improving in one area, it helps us develop other God-honoring strengths also?
Put In The Time
I read something awhile ago and it went something like, the time is going to pass either way, you get to choose what you do with it. And that is a valid point! When developing endurance it will take time, but the time is going to pass either way, so make the God-honoring choice to grow, to seek Him and to have a heart perfect towards Him.
God knows our hearts, for better or worse. Each opportunity we have to grow, to endure, to remain faithful we should choose with our whole hearts, not just with outward obedience. Honesty is essential. Sometimes though I try to have the right attitude, my heart struggles. But I take that to God, ask Him to soften my heart towards what He needs from me. And do you know what? God has a perfect track record: He has never failed me. True, sometimes it takes time, but as I endure in a given situation, He shows up!
Sometimes developing endurance is harder than others. Sometimes an outsider looking in might not get the struggle. But don’t underestimate the value of enduring, of pressing on even in the face of struggle. Remember the goal of accomplishing God’s best, not giving in to self.
Choose Healing
It is interesting, but perhaps one of the more difficult areas for myself personally to endure is in healing. Be it physical or pertaining to relationships. And as I look around at the world and other’s attitudes I wonder if this is a more difficult thing across the board. But I can’t help but think this makes it all the more important to choose and claim healing, even before we feel it.
Developing endurance takes time, and time has the ability to heal so much. Time gives us perspective, it helps us see things from a different lens than we did initially. And here again, it is so important to pursue healing with our whole heart, not holding any resentment or anger inside. There is a purpose in every single thing we go through. Sometimes it is consequences for actions chosen, other times it is merely to bring us to a new place. If nothing changed, nothing would change, right?
So fight the good fight, developing endurance and choosing healing. The time is going to pass either way, so why not invest in it and let it take you further than you imagined possible! And as you heal, thank God for the trial. Because with the right attitude, it will strengthen your relationship with Him like nothing else would have! Knowing that makes it quite precious, doesn’t it? Perspective truly is everything.
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” -Galatians 6:9
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. Keep reading: https://www.theamericanlady.com/2025/03/12/be-strong-and-courageous/