The Art of Endurance

Endurance is the long haul; we know that. But what if today matters more than we even realize? What if our smallest daily decisions strengthen us for the ones that matter most?

Several years ago, my grandma moved into an assisted living center. A few weeks after her move I stopped by to take her out to lunch. Seeing as though I had four fairly young children at the time, I opted for manageable over classy and hauled the whole crew, plus Grandma, to McDonald’s. At least the kids could play while I visited with Grandma.

Standing in line to order, I rattled off options to the kids and took mental notes of how many burgers and nuggets I needed. I paused thoughtfully when I looked at my grandma. I was a tad bit embarrassed by my paltry choice of dining establishments, but Grandma didn’t get out much anymore. Maybe this could be fun?

I had an idea. 

“Grandma, what is something that you never get to eat at the assisted living facility? What is something you miss that you never have anymore?” I was feeling wistful and ready to order anything. There was nothing on that McDonald’s menu that was off limits for my grandma.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a milkshake?” She answered Jeapordy-style, in question form.

Yes, a milkshake! That is exactly the kind of memory-making indulgence I was hoping for.

“Let’s all get milkshakes, Grandma!”

Her reply came as quickly as my idea had. “Oh no, I don’t need a milkshake. I have to watch my weight.”

Wait, what?

For my entire life my grandmother has always been a rather small and healthy woman. Besides that, she was 82 years old now. 82! Someone please tell me we don’t have to keep watching our weight when we are 82 years old. With one sentence Grandma blew up more than my memory-making moment; she blew up my hopes for the future.

Eighty-two years old and still no milkshakes? That is just dumb.

I prodded Grandma a little more on the subject and she told me she had noticed a pattern when people move into retirement homes. They often become less active, eat more and gain weight. Their health declines rapidly. They are more prone to injury, and less likely to recover. 

Clearly she had thought this through a bit.

I took my grandma’s word for it and dropped my idea of memory-making milkshakes. but what stuck with me had far less to do with milkshakes. It had to do with perspective; it had to with life.

Recently I have been reading through First and Second Kings, a historical account of the rulers of Israel and Judah that is both fascinating and harrowing. Over and over, we read simple stories of these kings who either feared God or, more often, did not. But what really gets me is the ones who feared Him – partly. If that reads like a an oxymoron – you’re right. It is.

Read of Joash and Amaziah, Jehu and Uzziah. Think of Solomon and Saul.

These kings started out fearing the Lord and then lost their way. Many of them refused to be all in, neglecting to remove the pagan shrines and altars. Their opportunity for good became a legacy of evil.

It’s depressing to read. And somehow, I’m reminded of my grandma. 

That beautiful pillar of my family, turning down a McDonald’s milkshake, has done the very same thing with her faith. The trials she has suffered in her 80 plus years have been real. She has lived through some heart-breaking season as a wife and mother, in her career and in friendships. Her opportunity to pursue selfish gain, to blame God for suffering, to wonder if He really sees her on long and lonely years of small things – that has all been real for her. 

Even now she walks through this late season of life as a widow, life without her home, life when dementia is stealing more of her memories every single day.

And yet she has kept going, kept pursuing, kept believing, faithfully.

When I look at her life, now spanning 86 years, I wonder how that is even possible. But what if it has more to do with that milkshake than I first thought?

 

 

I tend to read Pauls words in the New Testament, his racing analogies, with a nice IG filter on them.

”…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” Hebrews 12:1

“I press on toward the goal for the prize…” Philippians 3:14

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life…” 1 Timothy 6:12

These words come with beautiful imagery and the somehow the Chariots of Fire soundtrack plays quietly in the back of my mind. Yes, Paul, I’m in! But when we begin to live this endurance thing out, it looks nothing like what I had imagined.

It looks like continuing to love and serve and try, when marriage is gritty and tiring and boring.

Endurance is picking up that phone and checking in with a friend again, believing the best and making the effort toward friendship one more time.

It comes with wrinkles and age spots and that unexplainable ache that is learning to let go of our children. 

It’s yet another meal to make and clean up, toilets that always needs scrubbing, laundry that always need doing.

Maybe it’s even saying no to milkshakes at 82 yeas old, because you value your health, your quality of life, more than momentary satisfaction.

What if these grinding moments of life, the ones that wear away at us and spin long into monotony – what if they are the training ground? We get to develop our stabilizing muscles. We get to shore up our hearts for endurance in so many daily ways that strengthen us for the endurance that really matters – a lasting faith in Jesus Christ.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to do marriage well for a season. I want it to last a lifetime. My roles as a mama and as a friend – I want to do those well for life. This healthy eating and taking care of my body – I want that to last. 

And my faith in Jesus Christ – I want that growing deeper, enduring until my very last days on this earth.

He has given us ample opportunities to practice endurance, friend. More opportunities that we really prefer some days. But I’m thankful for a grandma that is showing me how this is lived out over a lifetime. Even if that means saying no to milkshakes.

Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.