Endurance is described as the ability to withstand hardship or adversity. Endurance tends to be a word that we use for physical activities. But often times, we do not consider what it means to have mental or spiritual endurance.
Right now more than ever, we are having to endure, not only physical hardship for some, but mental and spiritual hardship. The world we are living in today seems like something we would read in a science fiction novel. We seem to have found ourselves in this strange limbo land between reality and a dream.
We have all had to create something that we can perceive as a new normal and then try to to adjust to that new normal. Now that we know that this is something we will live with for the foreseeable future, we have to find a way to endure it.
If I were to guess, I would say that many of us, myself included, are probably looking for this endurance from the wrong source; we tend to look to ourselves and other earthy things first. We think, “What can I do to make this easier?” or “How can I occupy my time to relive my stress?” But these are the wrong questions to ask ourselves. The question should be “How can God help me through this?”
If the only place we search for hope and endurance is within our own thoughts or externally, we will find very quickly that the answer is simply not there. We search so many other places (social media, the internet, music, or whatever it may be) looking for something we’ll never find. Not to say that these things are bad, but they are certainly not the answer to our problems. God is the only one who can and will get us through this unprecedented time we’re living in now.
We’ve all heard the old cliche “everything happens for a reason.” Now I’m not sure how true this is but what I do know is that things happen that we can’t control. Some things happen that are unexpected or unwarranted, and we have to know that while the specifics of each instance may be different, our spiritual response should be largely the same. There is nothing that has said things are always supposed to be easy. In fact, trials will most certainly come. But, if we put our faith in God, we become stronger through them.
As said in James 1:2-4:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
I would like to challenge all of us to do exactly that. Although this may be a trying time, let’s use this time to strengthen our faith. Let’s use this time to grow closer to God. Let’s put all of our trust in God. During times like these, that’s something that sounds easy but can sometimes be difficult to do. But just because it’s difficult does not mean that it is not worth it.
While this is surely nothing like we have experienced before, that does not mean that an answer or solution is found any differently. We may not know what that answer or solution is, but we should know right where to find it.
I believe this a perfect opportunity to allow God to witness to us. He can empower us to endure and persevere through this by relying on him. The strength to endure any hardship we may go through, is always found in God. It is found in God’s word, it is found in prayer, it is found in God’s community. We can not only strengthen our own faith, but also continue to grow in fellowship with one another, encouraging each other to use this time wisely.
Instead of feeling down or lost right now, let’s make the most out of it. This is surely a time where in the future we can look back and say, if I put my trust in God then, I can put my trust in him now. We have all of this free time to do as we so choose, so let’s choose to focus on God. Let’s choose to focus on how God can help us endure this together and come out stronger in every way on the other side.
*This blog was written by Blake Batchelor. Blake is a sophomore at South Alabama and he is majoring in International Business.*
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