The Discipline of Endurance
by Katie Harding on August 28, 2023
How easy is it to get bent out of shape when things don’t go your way — when someone cuts you off in traffic, steps in line in front of you at the store, or keeps you waiting on hold for an hour to resolve a problem? Whatever the circumstance, it seems more often than not, we want to cling to our right to be right.
But what if God allows troubles to test our endurance? Sometimes troubles can be seasons of full-blown suffering. Having 21 surgeries over 32 years, I have had a number of those seasons myself. However, the troubles we most often face seem to be challenges in our daily lives and relationships.
We all want things to go our way. Even as a teenager I often complained to my dad, “That’s just not fair.” To which he would respond, ever so calmly, “But life’s not fair, Little Girl.” It’s not that my dad wanted me to embrace the struggles I encountered, but he didn’t want me to be hindered by them, either. He was trying to teach me to endure — to keep going and maintain my focus despite the difficulties I might face. To endure means “to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding” (Merriam-Webster).
Recently, after finishing the book Evidence Not Seen for an upcoming book discussion, I sat quietly meditating on Darlene Deibler Rose’s ability to endure a Japanese women’s POW camp during WWII. She faced four years of horrific suffering, yet, throughout her entire time of captivity, she remained firm in her faith and never took her eyes off Jesus. As I thought about how quickly I can resort to complaining when something doesn’t go as I wanted or expected, I realized greater endurance is definitely needed.
“...Throughout her captivity, she remained firm in her faith and never took her eyes off Jesus.”
James reminded us that when we face trials of any kind to consider it joy because the testing of our faith produces endurance (James 1:2-3). Darlene didn’t learn endurance as a prisoner of war, she had learned it beforehand in the jungle as a missionary to the people of Papua New Guinea. Likewise, we don’t suddenly get endurance in the most difficult times of life, we learn it in the days leading up to the difficulties. If we learn to endure the little things, “and let endurance have its full effect,” as James said, we will be “mature and complete” in our faith, “lacking in nothing,” when hard times hit (James 1:4).
I think we all want to be strong in our faith, yet, we want it to come easily, without challenges. But it doesn’t happen that way. There is no way to offer our lives as bread broken and wine poured out, without experiencing the kneading of the bread and crushing of the grapes. Strength comes through learning to endure the challenges of life. For it’s in the midst of challenges where our faith is tested, and choices are made.
“Therefore, let those suffering in accordance with God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good” (1 Peter 4:19).