We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5

 

Marathon runners know it better than anyone: endurance is only developed by pushing our limits and going just a little farther than we went the day before.

 

Kellyn Taylor, an American long-distance runner, says, “Every time we go out and race we defy what our body says we should do. Our body screams at us to stop, yet we keep going.”[1] The Bible gives us a reason to keep going in real life. Scripture says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love” (Romans 5:3-5).

 

Jesus-follower, God promises to take all the hardships we endure, every challenge and difficulty, and turn them into endurance, character, and hope that’s immune to disappointment. That doesn’t mean it will be easy. But it does mean that Jesus is forming us, shaping in us an unshakable hope. It’s rooting our hearts in our eternal God, who we will live with forever!

 

When that type of hope in our unshakable, forever God lives inside our hearts, nothing can steal our love and joy. Even what looks like a loss to others becomes a victory for us in a bigger story told by our great God!

[1]@kellyn_taylor. “”Every time we go out and race we defy what our body says we should do. Our body screams at us to stop, yet we keep going.” Twitter, 24 October 2020, 4:27 am, https://twitter.com/bostonmar_pro/status/1319963725466652672.