ENDURANCE is not living in a dream world. It’s not laziness, it’s not sweeping things under the carpet, and it’s certainly not denying the true state of situations in your life. It is knowing all these and yet deciding consciously to live above them because your God is greater than your “problems.” According to Gautama Siddhartha, (563-483 B.C.) ” endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, and to the one who endures, final victory comes.” Yes! problems exist, evil people exist, but God is bigger than them, and so you must get on with your life. My favourite line has always been: “Life goes on”! It’s a strategy that can help me focus on the positive side of life while turning my back on the negative.
Faced with the reality of wars, revolutions, great earthquakes, plagues, famines, fearful sights and even betrayal, persecution and death, Jesus says:“Do not be terrified…but it will not immediately be the end” (Lk. 21:9). Again, he tells us: do not prepare your defence. Throughout the scriptures, we are reminded that God will come to bring all that is evil to nothing. (Mal 3: 19-20). We must continue our good work in patient righteousness and endurance till the end, “for all things call for patience, endurance and faithfulness” (Rev 13, 10). Giving up on life because someone is on the way to our progress tantamounts to lack of belief or trust in God. Most human beings are naturally pessimistic, and psychologists say our brain is hard-wired to detect danger more quickly than to perceive opportunities.
Laziness or giving up on life is the worst enemy of progress. Instead of making efforts to lay their hands on something that will keep them going till “the healing sun of God” shines on them, most christians have given up the hope of working hard. They prefer being busy bodies, “corporate beggars”, thieves, and habitual liars just to attract sympathy from people (1 Thess. 2: 7-12). The troubles the world faces are mere fulfilment of the Bible prophecies: terrorist attacks: inflation of prices of things in the market, etc. This does not mean that the world would end today. The world is full of events, both good and bad, but life will certainly go on, and there are certainly better days ahead. Jesus wants us to keep both our eternal and spiritual lives safe. This is what he means when he foretells that the Temple (everything) will be destroyed, but not a hair of your head will be lost…for your endurance will win you your life (Lk. 21:19).
Rev.Peter Obele Abue
