Endurance and the Waves

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering…

─Galatians 5:22a (NKJV)

Have you ever had waves of trials slamming into you seemingly simultaneously? Sometimes it’s like waves are hitting me from all four sides and from the top and bottom all at the same time. I cry out to the Lord for relief but they don’t cease, they just keep slamming into the shores of my soul.

This is counterintuitive to me. Let me explain in a formula:

The more trials + the longer they last = heightened weakening, enhancing the potential for failure. Bad.

The solution, humanly speaking at least, would be:

Reducing the number of trials + shortening their length of time = greater strength, enhancing the potential for lengthened success. Good.

But have you noticed; God doesn’t behave the way WE would. He doesn’t comply with our limited-view expectations. We see time in hours, days, weeks, etc. He sees time immemorial. Therefore, God’s equation would seem to be something like this:

Be strong in the Lord through trials (Ephesians 6:10ff, 1 Peter 1:3-12) + obedience (1 John 5:1-3) = deliverance (eventually, Deuteronomy 8:1-10).  Faith.

Without God, our ability to endure multiple trials is seriously compromised if not completely paralyzed. The world just does not have solutions that sink into the soul without first corrupting the soul. However, God provides the antidote to this worldly pollution; the indwelling Holy Spirit. That is why the Galatians verse above is so important to grasp.  Fruit is something that grows outwardly based upon what is already inside. An apple tree produces apples, not oranges. Why? Well, because it has apple characteristics (genes) all the way to its core (pardon the pun). So if we are saturated to our core in the Holy Spirit, then we’ll produce Spirit-sparked fruit. One of these fruit is longsuffering.

Longsuffering is from a Greek word that is also translated as ‘patience’ or, more aptly to my point of view, ‘endurance’.  Endurance, according to the Encarta Dictionary, means “the ability or power to bear prolonged exertion, pain or hardship.” That sounds an awful lot like longsuffering to me. 

Thus, back to my equation example. If trials were simple and/or short in duration, then our ability to endure through them would be just that—our own ability. But as trials mount to the point of fainting, God, by way of the indwelling Holy Spirit infuses us with the ability to persevere, to endure. And if we’re not careful, we may even have joy through the endurance because joy is another Spirit-sparked fruit. 

When the trials finally cease, whether in days, weeks or even years, there will be no doubt that it was God that brought us through the trials. Hmm, reminds me of a couple of other Scriptures:

And He said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

─2 Corinthians 12:9

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trails, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

─James 1:2-3

And, finally, as we endure through the trials, we need to realize that we’re not alone:

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

─Jesus, Matthew 28:20

So hang in there, a better day is coming.

A New Year's Resuolution Revisited

About a week ago I was thumbing through my journal and stumbled upon this entry from December 31, 2010: “What will be my resolution this year?  Most likely to not let other’s moods, demeanors or treatment of me affect my mood or my outlook on life.”  I must confess disappointedly, I have blown this resolution to smithereens on several occasions since January 1, 2011. 

Morose and sullen personalities often rub me the wrong way and I react by becoming morose or sullen myself.  But how can I shine as a light when I so easily allow my light to be doused by the extinguishing blackness of others?  It is in that blackness that the light most needs to shine.   The light of Christ emanating out of a person’s life pierces through the suffocating darkness of another person’s soul.  It is this light that dawns into an otherwise perpetual night in many a heart. 

People that are surly or unruly with me often cause me to draw away so as to shelter myself from the abuse. Given that it’s not a physical abuse, should I still draw myself away from them?  With the light of Christ discussed above also comes a warmth that can chase the chill of darkness away from the surly and unruly.  But if that light is purposely withdrawn, not by the Lord, but by the Christ-follower, then how are the surly and unruly to ever experience the grace of God?    It may very well be this grace that provides the warmth needed to melt the cold heart of stone to reveal the vulnerable and fearful flesh underneath. 

And yet, of course, there are those with the hearts of stone that are so stubborn that it may take several light-carrying Christ-followers invading this person’s life to finally chip enough stone away from their heart to open it up to God’s grace.

Endurance, though, is the challenge.  What if I invest much of my life and yet see no results?  To that ever-burning lament, I would remind the suffering Christian warrior of Philippians 2:14-16: 

Do all things without grumbling or questioning that you may be blameless in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.  (ESV)

So take heart, dear sojourner, you are not alone, many of us are desperately trying to chip away at stoney hearts and coming away with more bruising than chips on the floor (think about that, it’ll come to you).  But God will eventually prevail, even in all our frustrations, to reveal Himself to the heart of stone that still has a spark for the Truth.    

True Love, Haiku and a Coach

An enduring love
        besting tests of tempest time;
                                       blooms anew daily.

This is a poem dedicated to my dear wife who not only loves me but also puts up with me.  I like writing and reading haiku because if done right, the verses are not only short (typically 5-7-5), but they make a point without a bunch of belaboring reading. Haiku is also fun because you want it to end with a little bit of a twist or with something to trigger a little more thinking.  This haiku is attempting to play two thoughts against each other, "enduring love" and "anew daily."  In other words, I'm trying to say that genuine love endures through the long haul because it is intentionally renewed as brand new every day. 

In between the "enduring" and "anew daily" is the line about "tempest" or storms.  Any relationship, especially marriage, will be hit with storms of many types and varieties, and only the strength of will between the two lovers will determine if they will make it through the storms together or not.  Each person in the relationship must be determined that nothing will break their love for their mate, and if each person has the same commitment to each other and to their marriage, then the storms will come and go but the marriage will endure. 

As a special note for husbands, since we men like to use tools, here's a tool to really help us in our marriages: 

"And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church, He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God's word" (Ephesians 5:25-26, NLT). 

So how did Christ love the church?  Read the Gospels and find out.  Here's a suggestion though, especially if you're familiar with sports, look at Jesus as a coach to husbands and you'll begin viewing the Gospels in a whole different light!  Jesus was definitely a man's man and the epitome of endurance, faithfulness, and love. 

I realize all of this commentary is a bit much to draw out of one haiku, but inside the poet is a deeper motive, and that is to help marriages endure while also drawing people to Christ.  So hopefully these many words will draw your gaze upward and your heart toward the one you love.