Endurance: Do Not Give Up
The theme for this year at Cross Creek Church has been “GO”. As the year starts to wind down, the writers at More Than Sundays would like to give you some encouragement and wisdom so that you can finish the year strong and keep GOing in your walk with Christ for many years to come. Please enjoy!
I remember when I first learned the word “endurance.” My family was watching some kind of Survivor-type game show with different daring competitions, and I was probably 7 or 8. The contestants were competing in an endurance challenge. I remember they were holding onto a set of bars over a vast and dark ocean. I asked my parents what the word “endurance” meant, and they told me it meant who could hang on the longest. I can recall thinking, “What is the point of that? That sounds awful.” I imagined myself hanging out there on the bars over the roaring waters, my palms blistering and shoulders cramping. Even for the money or prize or whatever it was, it seemed so extremely boring just to hang there for hours. I tucked away “endurance” as a tiresome and lame word in the file cabinet of my brain.
Sometimes as an adult, I take that file out, examine it a little bit, and place it right back in that compartment – undesirable and tiresome. I can see how a big pot of prize money might be worth some strenuous physical challenges now that I know the daily cost of living. But when it comes to my actual life – the day after day – sometimes I would rather stop for a bit, maybe grab a drink in the meantime, and then come back to making good choices when I feel convicted enough. I can feel this way when it comes to habits such as exercise, healthy eating, and how I spend my days (i.e. – not filling them with media and screens). But it’s also easy to think this way when it comes to my faith.
Galatians 6:8-9 (ESV) says, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Daily endurance to live a life led by the Spirit produces an abundant outcome – for those around us as well as for ourselves. When we choose to live our own lives separate from God and following selfish pursuits, we spend our lives tending to a garden full of weeds – sowing to the flesh, as Galatians puts it – and that’s what we’ll have to show at the end of our lives. But when God is at the center of our lives, and we ask, “How can I love those around me with my specific and unique giftings in order to serve God?”, and when we follow that calling to “sow to the Spirit”, then our lives will produce a beautiful harvest that honors God and that we get to enjoy the fruit of, too. Let’s unpack this passage a little more.
Bearing One Another’s Burdens
Galatians 6 is titled “Bear One Another’s Burdens” in the ESV Bible, and Paul goes on in the first 7 verses about how to do just that. (I encourage you to go read it, and if it is difficult to understand, The Message version was helpful for me in understanding how to practically apply it in my life.) In verse 2 it says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” It’s important background to note for this verse that, during this time in the early church of Galatia, there was a group of people called the Judaizers who were obtaining power within the church. The Judaizers were trying to make fulfillment of the Mosaic Law an obligatory part of Christian faith (Book of Galatians Overview – Insight for Living Ministries, n.d.). Paul was reminding these people of the early church of the simple gospel: Trust in Jesus, and love others. I sat with this verse for a while after I read it. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Life in Christ is simply about bearing the burdens of those around us. How can I love my neighbor? How can I support those in need? How can I comfort the mourning? This is how we sow, by loving, forgiving, comforting, and caring for those around us just as Jesus would. It is this that has an eternal impact; this is how Jesus Himself lived. Bearing one another’s burdens is a big way we sow to the Spirit rather than the flesh like Galatians 6:8-9 says.
Reaping What You Sow
If bearing the burdens of others is sowing to the Spirit, what does the harvest look like? Does this mean that if we’re kind to those around us, God will give us all the earthly possessions and circumstances of our dreams? Not necessarily. Life is always going to be hard, and there are going to be situations we face that are not ideal at best and downright heartbreaking at worst. (This also does not negate the goodness of God and His desire to give us good gifts as Jesus says in Matthew 7:11). We live in a broken world. The “reaping” that this passage talks about is more of a spiritual reaping than a physical reaping. We never know what our physical circumstances will look like throughout our lives, but one thing we can be sure of is when we actively love others, we will reap peace, joy, and hope in our earthly lives, and then eternal life with Jesus in Heaven. This is a better yield than the biggest house, the best physical health, and the nicest car; this means that no matter the circumstances, we can be filled with joy and life. It means a closeness with God, and this is what life with Him is about! Having a relationship with God means seeking Him for the eternal and present close company of Himself; it’s not about what He can do for us here on earth. When I think of this being lived out, I think of my Nana and Papa. They have lived through very hard things from rough childhoods to cancer to losing a child. But they are some of the kindest people I know; they truly live out the love of Christ and are constantly looking for ways to serve everyone around them, all the way down to the smallest services like doing the dishes. The hard things of life have not hindered their endurance. They have clung to Christ through it all. And in their mid-seventies, they are full of joy, peace, and kindness that overflows from them more than anyone I know. This is part of the reaping that Paul speaks about in this passage.
Do Not Grow Weary – Ask Questions
Sometimes, following Jesus is exciting and a spiritual hit of adrenaline. Sometimes it feels a little bit like hanging onto that bar over the ocean with blistering hands. Most of the time, it’s in the middle of those two things – just pretty average, day to day, doing the dishes, loving our neighbor, trying to follow Him the best we can. This picture in Galatians 6 of sowing and reaping could not be more perfect because life with Jesus is like tending to a garden. It takes steady and determined work, and this is where endurance comes in. There are going to be times when we are selfish or lazy. There are going to be times we feel complacent or burnt out. These feelings don’t mean we need to throw in the towel or go on a hiatus of selfish pursuits. It might mean you need to take a breath and evaluate some areas in your spiritual life. It might just be a warning you need to listen to. Don’t keep running on empty, and don’t turn the other way either. Seek guidance, seek accountability, seek counseling, and maybe ask yourself some of these questions:
Do you need to rest? – This does not mean resting by binging Netflix or scrolling through social media, which is fake and draining rest. but rather by practicing Sabbath, taking a break from technology, enjoying a day of solitude or a retreat, or spending time meditating on Scripture. Is your rest true rest?*
Am I serving in the right space and in the right capacity? – Serving others is the heartbeat of the Gospel (Matthew 25:35-40, Romans 12:10). There is deep joy and eternal purpose found in serving others. We are called to serve in our families, communities, neighborhoods, churches, and around the world. With this said, balance is important. For instance, my husband and I were heavily involved in serving at Hydrate on Wednesday nights, but then we had two babies within one year, and it was no longer best for us to serve in that capacity anymore. We both serve in areas that work for our family now, and when our daughters are older, our areas of service will probably change again. This helps us stay healthier as a family and helps us be able to serve one another and the church while not feeling overwhelmed and eventually burnt out.
While I believe we are called to serve wherever there is a need, it doesn’t require a special gift to feed the hungry, fight for the oppressed, fill an unmet need, or pray or comfort a friend (all ways we sow to the Spirit). The Bible teaches that we all have spiritual gifts given to us by God, and I do believe this is something that needs to be encouraged more as we begin our faith journey. I love The Message translation of Galatians 6:4-5 that says, “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” We should examine ourselves as this verse says: What is the passion or gift God has placed so intentionally within me that I can use to serve His Kingdom? Be creative in the way you serve! When we serve creatively within our giftings, we are sowing to the Spirit as it says later on in Galatians. This helps us tend to our garden well, even enthusiastically!
Are you living daily in the power and majesty of the Gospel? – The world is loud, and it can be easy to forget the benefits of walking with Jesus. When we truly spend time in His Word and time apart from the world to sit quietly in His presence, it will be harder to grow weary in doing good because we will see all the good He brings. Daily sowing to the Spirit means daily spending time with Jesus – this is where it should begin!
Are you prepared to do the everyday, average work? – While the Gospel is miraculous, following Jesus is not going to feel like one big euphorically spiritual rollercoaster of excitement all the time. It’s mostly going to feel pretty average, because that is the same for all areas of life. An expectation of constant spiritual high allows cracks of disappointment for Satan to squeeze in and nudge us towards the lie that life with God is undesirable and that there are better, more exciting ways of life out there. While it might be more thrilling for a moment, life apart from Christ will always leave us empty; again, this is what it looks like to sow to the flesh. Tending a garden, or in this case, sowing to the Spirit, takes endurance. But oh, that endurance is so worth the fruitful harvest. At the end of my life there is a chance I could have good health and a nice car, but if I don’t, I hope more than anything I have love, peace, and joy in my everyday – this is what reaping looks like when you sow to the Spirit. I will cling to Jesus and hold fast to endurance, knowing the harvest is eternal and even presently fulfilling because it shifts my whole perspective. It gives me hope. I pray that you and I do not grow weary in doing good, even when our days feel average or loving others feels tedious. We have still been brought from death to life! That is surely not average! It is all from Him and all for Him.
References
Book of Galatians Overview – Insight for Living Ministries. (n.d.).
https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-pauline-epistles/galatians
Resources
*A good resource for true rest is “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer.
A good resource for endurance for everyday life is “Liturgy of the Ordinary” by Tish Harrison
Warren.