Endurance

 For you need endurance in order to do Godʼs will and so receive what is promised. (Hebrews 10:36 NET_FL)

Fir, alder, and maple forest surround my father’s house in Washington State. Among the woodland critters are cliff swallows that, year after year, attempt to build mud nests above Dad’s door. For a while he allowed the birds to summer there, but it was a bad location for all the parties. The chicks were subjected to human traffic and the people were dive-bombed with objectionable matter.

Every spring, Dad goes on swallow-alert. A comical war is waged as he washes down any mud beginnings. Eventually, the birds relocate to the nearby sea-cliffs. It would appear Dad is more persistent but the swallows are driven by deep instinct and they’ll be back another year.

You and I have a deep instinct to unite with our Creator and be delivered from the curse. That hope drives us. No matter how many times our nest of faith is knocked down, we rebuild. We can’t give up on Christ, for as Peter said, where would we go? No one else has the words of eternal life.

Endurance, however, is more than maintaining the status quo. To stop running toward Christ on the treadmill of faith is to be swept backwards into unbelief. Even to stay in the one place of trusting Jesus requires an expenditure of calories. The longer we live with our heartaches the harder it is to trust because no answer appears to be forthcoming. Every day I wake up and say, “In spite of all that is wrong, I’ll trust the Lord,” I’m enduring more today than yesterday.

When I get to paradise I’ll be able to trade my endurance for the commodity my heart will most desire, victories with which to honor Jesus through eternity.

Prayer: Mighty Savior, help me trust you today.