Endurance

“The key is to last”. That was what the legendary life insurance salesman claimed as his key to success when he finally retired at a very ripe old age.

Think about any successful figure you know or in popular culture and you will find them being quoted as saying that much of their success was “simply showing up”. Sure, natural ability and skill play a big role but – you gotta be there to succeed there. If you Google® the “simply showing up” quote you’ll find versions that account no less than 80% and even 85, 90 and 99% of success due to “simply showing up”.

Unless one lives in total isolation, success has a lot to do with others and relationships. We are successful for and through others. We operate and interact amongst others. We rely on others. Others rely upon us. We serve others. How we are perceived is a function of others. Our practical lives are very much defined and summed-up by our relationships with others and our success is somewhat dependent upon others. Our impact on others is marked by the things to which we are perceived to being committed. Commitment and competence are related. Our degree of notoriety for things is amplified by how our passion and persistence “turn up the volume” on them.

Like it or not – the world we live in is filled with cynicism and mistrust. People have been let down by others. People have committed to relationships with others who were only in that relationship as long as it didn’t cost them anything. They have been wounded and so they want to know; “Are you for real?”, “Do you really mean it?”, “Can I count on you?”, “Will you be as committed as I am?” Some may believe in you at once - but for most things the world waits and watches. Time is the authenticator.     

What are you known for? To what do people know you to be committed, passionate and excellent? Is it your business, your profession, your passion for children, your marriage, how you follow a professional athletic team, a hobby … your faith? In what do you desire in your heart to be successful? Is there a match between your hearts desire and what you are known for? What are you patient for?

Remember that life insurance salesman? Over time, showing up and “lasting” he developed a sphere of influence founded on what he was known for and he was the “go to” person for life insurance in that sphere. For what are you the “go to” person?   

In the life of a believer, all of this cascades from our primary relationship with our Creator through our Redeemer and by the power of His Spirit working through us. He is our audience of One. Our first relationship is in Him and all of the rest is an outpouring from our commitment and persistence in that relationship. His provision nourishes all meaningful things and worthy endeavors we might be “known” for. I am thankful that the Bible is full of real life stories of people who “lasted”. Their example encourages me and the Bible tells me of their outcomes! The Bible also has the stories of those who didn’t stand the test of their commitment. For most, success was just around the corner of a trial. Some got a second shot at it – some didn’t. Are you in a trial that is obscuring the clarity of your vision and attempting to steal your commitment from you? Endure and your character will develop. In the end your position will be determined by the character developed through such trials.

Everyone I know who has stuck to something has succeeded in it over time. They may have struggled and even lost a lot, but in the end their endurance rewarded them with a form of success with which they are satisfied … a peace and joy that few experience in life.

We all know someone who set off on a dream, endured the hardships, didn’t quit and - over the decades - carved out an existence in real estate, or in that small business or in that odd obscure career that they believed in. They invested in the process, submitted to the requirements and the rigors and kept their eye on the prize. They lived day by day with a fullness for it and stuck with it. They endured the traps and snares and kicked free the trip---wires set to confound their efforts. They kept their head up. Despite the well intended advice of others to give it up during a dry spell, they kept at it with their eyes even more firmly set on the rewards to come. Maybe that’s you too.

Few have not heard of the great true tale of the 1915 Antarctic expedition led by Sir Ernest Shakleton onboard a ship named, of all things, "Endurance". Trapped, the mission doomed and the ship crushed by encroaching ice, the crew of 28 set out on the drifting sea ice to survive. By one of the most extraordinary examples of commitment and will to survive the men save themselves without the loss of one. What is noteworthy in the context of our theme here is a quote that emphasizes the overarching value of commitment over intent from a book documenting the voyage by Alfred Lansing titled, Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage; "In that instant (when they knew they were rescued) they felt an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment. Though they had failed dismally even to come close to the expedition's original objective, they knew now that somehow they had done much, much more than ever they set out to do.”

 

I can see it clearly as my years advance and I consider my experience and the experience of others that I have waited for and watched – and I am more encouraged than ever about my present pursuits.   

In the book of Hebrews in Chapter 12 the “Race of Faith” verses really sum this up for me. As you read it consider the influence promised for those who follow the example represented by the Author of true commitment who showed up, stepped up, lasted, endured and achieved the ultimate victory – victory over death for all of us.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV) “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, 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, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

All the best,

Bill