The Power of Endurance
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. ”
I was a distance runner in high school. I started out in football, but I wasn’t that big and didn’t enjoy the punishment. But, even in full pads, I outran the other guys. So, rather than sit on the bench, I started running Cross Country. For four years I ran. Three years our team ran in State. Three years I was an alternate. My junior and senior years I was on varsity, until I was injured. My senior year we were ranked second in the state. I couldn’t figure out why I was so unlucky. Three years later, in my final semester of college, I broke my back and I found out I had birth defects in my lower back we were unaware of until then.
The doctor let me know that standing for long periods must have been painful for me, to say nothing of running twelve miles at a fast clip. In that moment, all the disappointment and even shame fell away. I always knew I trained hard, but when I did, my body broke down. When you don’t know any different, you just assume pain is normal. My disappointment turned into pride, as I realized I had endured so much more pain than was normal.
There is personal approval one can find in endurance. My disappointment turned to validation in learning that I had endurance, even beyond the special endurance shared by all distance runners. The Apostle Paul is correct: endurance builds character, which helps the person understand that he/she has the ability to do improbable things with one’s life, when one is willing to work hard and endure sacrifices for a proper calling. Even when accolades are not found, endurance can provide its own success.
Today, think about ways you have endured. Were these endurance moments difficult? Did you feel diminished or strengthened by these moments of endurance? Pray for the Holy Spirit to assist you in embracing Divine character, even in the most difficult situations. Sometimes just surviving is a huge act of character. Don’t always judge the difficult times, but honor the endurance you have experienced and celebrate the strength within you.
