“…and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,” (Romans 5:4, NRSV)
“Can you hurry up?!!!” This phrase was yelled from a young boy to his dog. The dog was not feeling well. The little pooch had been lethargic all morning. Young Terry was told by his mother that they would not leave for a day at the beach until the dog had eaten his breakfast and gone potty. So, the boy quickly got the dog’s dish and filled it with food. And he waited. He urged the dog to come by the bowl. And then Terry waited. He yelled again to the dog, “Hurry up and eat!” But the dog just laid down next to the bowl and didn’t eat. Frustrated, Terry complained to his mother that the dog wouldn’t eat. He urged his mother to leave for the beach anyway, whether the dog ate on time or not. His mother wouldn’t budge. She would not leave until the dog ate and went potty.
An hour went by, and the dog still wouldn’t eat. Instead of noticing that the dog didn’t feel well, Terry ignored every symptom of the dog and yelled at his mother to make the dog eat. To save time, the boy took the dog out to go potty, but it would not do that either. Terry began to yell at the dog in the yard. Then, after bringing the dog into the house, the boy yelled at the dog for not eating as well. His mother stopped Terry and said, “Maybe Spots (the dog’s name) isn’t having a good day. Maybe he is sick. Let’s wait to go to the beach until next weekend.”
When his mother canceled their trip to the beach “because of Spots”, young Terry was livid. He screamed at his mother. He yelled at his dog. Spots went and hid in a corner of the living room and wouldn’t come out. Terry then went into his room slamming the door shut while yelling how much he hated his mother.
Two hours later, they found Spots lying in a pool of vomit in the living room. He was unresponsive. Terry and his mother rushed the dog to the vet. There, it was found that Spots had ingested some automotive antifreeze. The veterinarian mentioned that Spots was very, very sick and may not make it. The veterinarian put Spots in a special cage and planned to monitor him for a few days. Terry fell apart. He cried all the way home. His mother said to him, “If we had gone to the beach, Spots would have died.” That made Terry regret all the yelling and complaining he did that morning.
Spots came home three days later. He was very weak. He barely ate. He slept a lot. Through it all, Terry looked out for Spots day and night. He stroked his fur gently. He talked to him lovingly. The first few nights, Terry would not leave Spots alone. He even fell asleep next to Spots on the floor. Slowly but surely, with Terry’s love and care, Spots got better. Within two weeks, Spots was playing in the yard. During the whole episode, Terry learned valuable lessons about not being selfish and demanding. He learned about long-term care of a pet. He learned patience and endurance. It seriously affected his personal character.
Many valuable lessons come from learning patience and endurance. In a world where there is fast food, overnight deliveries, and a rushed pace, some people do not learn the meaning or value of patience or endurance. Too many do what they want when they want. They have become prideful, demanding, overbearing, selfish, and impulsive. And it has affected them in a great many ways, including spiritually.
Peter wanted to make a fast buck. He bought some risky stock options, hoping for a quick return on his investment. He lost thousands of dollars. During recovery from knee surgery, Blake went back to playing football before his body had time to heal. He suffered even more damage to his knee. They had to redo the surgery. A friend of mine gained a hundred pounds in five years by eating poorly and working a stressful job. When his doctor grew worried about dreadful bloodwork results, my friend went on a crash diet. He ended up in the hospital. Each of these people suffered because of the lack of endurance and patience. Some things in life take time. Some processes and parts of life benefit greatly from endurance. When a person lacks patience or is unwilling to take the time to do a job right, it can result in poor results or worse.
The scripture for today teaches that endurance is a spiritual gift. It produces “character” (Romans 5:4). That “character” produces a “hope” in the faithful person that does not disappoint (Romans 5:5). When you do not take the time and effort needed to endure something that requires endurance, you short-circuit the blessing that should result. In the same way that hurrying back to football before fully healed may result in another injury, hurrying the spiritual life by not enduring something that takes time can short-circuit God’s blessing and grace. Then, the blessing and grace never occur. And hope takes a nosedive.
After a year of great upheavals, Charlotte decided that her life was spinning out of control. Nothing seemed to go right. She broke up with her boyfriend. She was doing poorly in her college classes. Even her car broke down. Last December, she decided that one of the big reasons her life was falling apart was that she hadn’t been praying in a long time. Her relationship with God had become non-existent. She didn’t engage in worship or reading her Bible. So, Charlotte resolved to make a New Year’s Resolution to pray every day. As of this week in August, Charlotte has faithfully kept her prayer time each day since last January. And, she has learned some valuable lessons.
When I contacted Charlotte about her New Year’s Resolution, she mentioned some surprising things. Though her car had again broken down, her best friend ended up in the hospital, and she had to move from her apartment, the stress has not affected her as much. The prayers seem to stabilize her mood while removing a lot of her worry and fears. She is sleeping better. With the benefits of added sleep and less stress, her grades have gotten better. Her acne has cleared up. The rashes that used to rear up periodically have disappeared. Charlotte mentioned to me that for the first time in her life, she feels not only connected with God but hopeful about some upcoming changes in her life.
I am not surprised that Charlotte is benefiting greatly from her dedication to prayer time. I am not surprised about her increased healing and wholeness and hopefulness. The endurance she has put into prayer time is paying benefits in many areas of her life. By remaining faithful to her prayers and God for a good long time, she is reaping the benefits that come with spiritual endurance. Her personal character has changed for the better. She is more mature, more willing to help others, and more hopeful about tomorrow.
Too many people short-circuit times of endurance. Lacking a “stick-to-it” attitude, impatient Christians falter at remaining faithful for a long while. Some things in life require endurance in order to bless you. In same way as plants and flowers REQUIRE time to grow, the spiritual life requires time for some situations to produce blessings. Endurance is very important for you to learn if you want to receive God’s blessings and grace in a due time.
How good are you with patience and endurance? Are you too impatient to allow adequate healing or a dedication to spiritual learning? Are you walking with God in the short term or over the long haul? Do you fall back to bad habits and sinful ways all too quickly? If you lack spiritual endurance, your character flaws will rear their ugly heads every now and then. Without spiritual endurance, hopelessness may settle into your heart and soul. Spiritual endurance won’t be quick. It won’t be easy. But spiritual endurance brings powerful blessings to those who take the time and commit the effort to hold out for as long as God has planned.
An hour went by, and the dog still wouldn’t eat. Instead of noticing that the dog didn’t feel well, Terry ignored every symptom of the dog and yelled at his mother to make the dog eat. To save time, the boy took the dog out to go potty, but it would not do that either. Terry began to yell at the dog in the yard. Then, after bringing the dog into the house, the boy yelled at the dog for not eating as well. His mother stopped Terry and said, “Maybe Spots (the dog’s name) isn’t having a good day. Maybe he is sick. Let’s wait to go to the beach until next weekend.”
When his mother canceled their trip to the beach “because of Spots”, young Terry was livid. He screamed at his mother. He yelled at his dog. Spots went and hid in a corner of the living room and wouldn’t come out. Terry then went into his room slamming the door shut while yelling how much he hated his mother.
Two hours later, they found Spots lying in a pool of vomit in the living room. He was unresponsive. Terry and his mother rushed the dog to the vet. There, it was found that Spots had ingested some automotive antifreeze. The veterinarian mentioned that Spots was very, very sick and may not make it. The veterinarian put Spots in a special cage and planned to monitor him for a few days. Terry fell apart. He cried all the way home. His mother said to him, “If we had gone to the beach, Spots would have died.” That made Terry regret all the yelling and complaining he did that morning.
Spots came home three days later. He was very weak. He barely ate. He slept a lot. Through it all, Terry looked out for Spots day and night. He stroked his fur gently. He talked to him lovingly. The first few nights, Terry would not leave Spots alone. He even fell asleep next to Spots on the floor. Slowly but surely, with Terry’s love and care, Spots got better. Within two weeks, Spots was playing in the yard. During the whole episode, Terry learned valuable lessons about not being selfish and demanding. He learned about long-term care of a pet. He learned patience and endurance. It seriously affected his personal character.
Many valuable lessons come from learning patience and endurance. In a world where there is fast food, overnight deliveries, and a rushed pace, some people do not learn the meaning or value of patience or endurance. Too many do what they want when they want. They have become prideful, demanding, overbearing, selfish, and impulsive. And it has affected them in a great many ways, including spiritually.
Peter wanted to make a fast buck. He bought some risky stock options, hoping for a quick return on his investment. He lost thousands of dollars. During recovery from knee surgery, Blake went back to playing football before his body had time to heal. He suffered even more damage to his knee. They had to redo the surgery. A friend of mine gained a hundred pounds in five years by eating poorly and working a stressful job. When his doctor grew worried about dreadful bloodwork results, my friend went on a crash diet. He ended up in the hospital. Each of these people suffered because of the lack of endurance and patience. Some things in life take time. Some processes and parts of life benefit greatly from endurance. When a person lacks patience or is unwilling to take the time to do a job right, it can result in poor results or worse.
The scripture for today teaches that endurance is a spiritual gift. It produces “character” (Romans 5:4). That “character” produces a “hope” in the faithful person that does not disappoint (Romans 5:5). When you do not take the time and effort needed to endure something that requires endurance, you short-circuit the blessing that should result. In the same way that hurrying back to football before fully healed may result in another injury, hurrying the spiritual life by not enduring something that takes time can short-circuit God’s blessing and grace. Then, the blessing and grace never occur. And hope takes a nosedive.
After a year of great upheavals, Charlotte decided that her life was spinning out of control. Nothing seemed to go right. She broke up with her boyfriend. She was doing poorly in her college classes. Even her car broke down. Last December, she decided that one of the big reasons her life was falling apart was that she hadn’t been praying in a long time. Her relationship with God had become non-existent. She didn’t engage in worship or reading her Bible. So, Charlotte resolved to make a New Year’s Resolution to pray every day. As of this week in August, Charlotte has faithfully kept her prayer time each day since last January. And, she has learned some valuable lessons.
When I contacted Charlotte about her New Year’s Resolution, she mentioned some surprising things. Though her car had again broken down, her best friend ended up in the hospital, and she had to move from her apartment, the stress has not affected her as much. The prayers seem to stabilize her mood while removing a lot of her worry and fears. She is sleeping better. With the benefits of added sleep and less stress, her grades have gotten better. Her acne has cleared up. The rashes that used to rear up periodically have disappeared. Charlotte mentioned to me that for the first time in her life, she feels not only connected with God but hopeful about some upcoming changes in her life.
I am not surprised that Charlotte is benefiting greatly from her dedication to prayer time. I am not surprised about her increased healing and wholeness and hopefulness. The endurance she has put into prayer time is paying benefits in many areas of her life. By remaining faithful to her prayers and God for a good long time, she is reaping the benefits that come with spiritual endurance. Her personal character has changed for the better. She is more mature, more willing to help others, and more hopeful about tomorrow.
Too many people short-circuit times of endurance. Lacking a “stick-to-it” attitude, impatient Christians falter at remaining faithful for a long while. Some things in life require endurance in order to bless you. In same way as plants and flowers REQUIRE time to grow, the spiritual life requires time for some situations to produce blessings. Endurance is very important for you to learn if you want to receive God’s blessings and grace in a due time.
How good are you with patience and endurance? Are you too impatient to allow adequate healing or a dedication to spiritual learning? Are you walking with God in the short term or over the long haul? Do you fall back to bad habits and sinful ways all too quickly? If you lack spiritual endurance, your character flaws will rear their ugly heads every now and then. Without spiritual endurance, hopelessness may settle into your heart and soul. Spiritual endurance won’t be quick. It won’t be easy. But spiritual endurance brings powerful blessings to those who take the time and commit the effort to hold out for as long as God has planned.