Endurance

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. Hebrews 10:35-36

In countless ways, our society values endurance. We marvel at couples that have been married for 50+ years. We eagerly buy new phones that promise 50% more battery life. And we run marathon races to test the limits of our bodily endurance. Yet the older I get, the more I find myself deeply moved by the witness of men and women who have followed Christ with steadfast faith for the whole of their lives. 

Though I grew up in Church, have fellowship circles, pastor, and am surrounded by peers who were involved in the rhythms of church life in one way or another, I’ve lost track of how many friends have walked away from the faith, or so deeply deconstructed their faith that nothing remains other than a vague and vapid agnosticism. This trend of deconstruction has been widely studied and extensively documented by groups such as Barna, and it is outside the scope of this blog to dive into it more deeply. I mention it simply to say that in the face of any cultural trend, there is always a counter-trend, an upstream current that can be found for those who take the time to look. 

The life of the believer in Christ demands nothing less than the whole of our life. It is an invitation to die to ourself in order to truly live. As such, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this invitation isn’t accepted by the masses. Like the Rich Young Ruler, many may hear the call of Christ, consider the cost, and simply walk away in order to pursue their own passions and pleasures. Yet there are others who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8), and therefore commit their way to Christ, day after day after day, refusing to let go of their childlike confidence in Him, even when life’s storms leave them battered and bruised. No, theirs is an enduring faith, one that keeps its eyes set on the “heavenly prize” (Philippians 3:14). 

I thank God for the witness of men and women in the past and in our own day who have clung to Christ and, by their example, invite us to do the same. Let us join them, responding with a courageous and enduring faith.