But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
Summary: Endurance is one of those things that really boils down to an act of will.
My high school track coach was a tall man — about six feet five inches. When it came to running, you might say he had a ‘leg up’ on me. Those long legs of his could cover a lot of ground, and he made it look easy.
I was not an athlete. Still, I had signed up for cross-country in high school, and that is how I found myself running a practice run through the back country of the small logging community I lived in.
It was a hot afternoon, and we were running a full course for a timed practice. I was lagging behind as usual, and the farm road was as boring as it was long. Just as I was contemplating slowing down, the coach came up from behind and jogged alongside me for a bit. I remember complaining that I was getting tired, and he asked a simple question: “Can you make it to that next fence post?”
I looked at the post about a hundred feet away and said, “Yeah, I can make that.”
“Good,” he said,“ then do it again for the next one.
So I did. And you know what? I did it for the next one, too. And when I made it back to the town park and crossed the finish line, I discovered I had run my best time ever.
When I see the word “endurance,” that memory of running all those years ago is where my mind goes. I really wanted to give up, but the coach came along and helped me refocus on what I was supposed to be doing.
It worked.
I think Paul is doing the same thing for Timothy and you and me.
Living the Christian life isn’t always easy. It is tempting to want to give up being nice to others and loving neighbors as God loves me, but then along comes Paul and says, “Can you make it to the end of the day?”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
“Good. Do it. And then do it again tomorrow.”
Application: Keep your eyes on Coach Jesus.
Food for Thought: How does it feel to endure and break through a mental barrier?
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