Occasional musings from a mind infected with cynicism, and hope.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Have you ever noticed there are certain words that are just fun? If I am eating at a Mexican restaurant and say my food is spicy, I may be telling you that it is good spicy, or it could mean bad spicy. Yet if I tell you my food is zesty, you just know that means it is good. The same holds true for jingle. No one describes an annoying sound with the word jingle. Jingle always seems to mean a fun, pleasant sound. Then there are words that make me smile, and I do not really know why. Words like Bazooka and Knucklehead are just fun to say.
At the same time there are words that are not fun, like screech. Have you ever heard screech used in a positive way? Neither have I. Here is another unpleasant word – Endurance. Just the sound of that word makes you want to wince. We never have to endure anything fun, we reserve endure for the things in life that are unpleasant. We endure childbirth, taxes, recovery from surgery, visits from the in-laws, and Chicago Cubs trades. We endure sickness, but never good health. We endure times of poverty, for who has ever endured times of plenty? So when we hear Endurance, it is natural that we recoil from the sound a little bit.
I think this is especially true in our culture, and at this point in time. We live with such unrealistic expectations. I should always be happy. I should always be comfortable. I should never be bored. Where did we get these ideas? Perhaps it is the natural result of our central air, prescription drug, ipod, video on demand world. We are used to getting what we want, when we want it, and we get a little crabby when anything interferes with these expectations. We simply expect comfort, happiness, and ease all the time. Here comes that word again…. Endurance. Perhaps I should not mention that word, for it tells us that there might be things we have to endure, and we don’t like enduring things.
In a few days I will mark yet another birthday, and I think I have learned a few things over the years. Life is not always going to be easy, comfortable, nor happy all the time. In fact, there is probably something that we will have to endure all through life. We have to endure the high school social world, then college and early career decisions. We endure pregnancy, the terrible twos, gaining extra pounds, and then the teenage years of our kids. We endure bad bosses, layoffs, money problems, mortgages, and college bills. We endure times of distance or strain with our families and spouses, we lose friends who move, and see our kids move away. We get tendinitis, that first surgery, cholesterol medication, and term life insurance. Wow, that is a whole lot of enduring. What is the point? Is it even worth it?
In the middle of all of this Endurance there are births, parties, new friends, reunions, reconciliations, marriages, promotions, and success of many kinds. There is a whole bunch of joy, beauty, and love in there as well, but if we do not Endure, we will miss out on the beauty and love as well. Endurance keeps the house going. Endurance keeps the job. Endurance waits until the sadness turns to joy, and the distance gets replaced by love. Endurance is the necessary price we pay to get the love and joy that can also be ours.
In 1 Thessalonians 1:3 Paul writes, “your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” What hope is Paul talking about? I think Paul has two things in mind here. First, we Endure our struggles because we are actually accomplishing something. We are in the business of bringing new life, new creation to those who are around us. Life might get hard at times, and it might be difficult, but if we endure we may actually help bring that new life about. There may also be people who watch how we respond to struggle. Our endurance will actually make a difference around us.
Yet I can’t help thinking that Paul has something else in mind as well. I think Paul is thinking about the resurrection of Jesus here. If this is the case, then that singular event changes how we look at everything in this life. The resurrection promises us that God has already started to renew everything, and we have the promise of eternal life. With this greater promise, then of course we can endure any of these things that cause us problems, because we know there is a far greater reality already starting around us. We endure many things in life so we can enjoy those moments of ease and happiness. We can endure the hard times now, because of the greater good that is promised to those who hope in Christ.
