There is a school of thought that says, “the most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.” I believe this statement is true. If your faith is enduring, your life will be enduring, as well.
Christopher Reeve said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Throughout our life, there will be many obstacles required of us to endure. As parents there will be many painstaking obstacles involving your children you will have to endure. Teaching them how to drive or going on their first date. Endurance must be a part of our DNA.
Life itself is a long process of endurance. From the beginning of any given day to its end, there can be experiences that challenge us to make the right decision and to tolerate disturbing situations we are facing. The Bible teaches us that “blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
The biblical story about the life of Job is a great example of an enduring experience. Job was accused by his three friends of not being truthful to the will of God and that Job had sinned against God. Because of his violations God had taken away his family and caused his health to deteriorate but in the end, God blessed Job with much more than what he had possessed.
Job’s response to his accusers was that he was truthful to God’s will and that his calamity was not because he had done anything wrong, but it was because God allows calamity to be experienced by the just as well as the unjust. All have experienced the calamities that Job experienced with the loss of loved ones and friends due to COVID. It wasn’t that we had done anything wrong against God.
So, how else could we explain how our country arrived at this moment of rupture and fury? How is it that mass shootings, even of children in their classrooms, and police killings of unarmed citizens of color like Tyre Nichols have become a feature of our days?. It appears on the surface of life that these events have become too common in our society causing all of us enduring experiences. Never Give Up! Never Give Up! Never Give Up!
By Dr. Walter Ghosten
chaplain@lhp.net
