As much as I enjoy a break running downhill, flat is my favorite. I’ve been training for a half marathon and drove to a flat road by the river this morning to avoid any big hills. It was great, but I’ve noticed something: Running always takes endurance and perseverance to keep going no matter how steep or flat the road is.
That’s true for just about any area of life as well. I’m glad for some easy, “downhill” times in the Christian life, but difficulties will try to stop us. Keeping a good testimony at work can be hard. Being the only Christian in your family or class can wear you out. Marriage isn’t always easy, witnessing gets hard, and talking like a Christian even when you just got cut off in traffic or lost a game can make us wanna give up.
In 2 Timothy 2:3, Paul challenges Timothy: “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Endure hardness: Put up with some stuff. Keep going without quitting…even when that’s all you wanna do.
Downhill times may be more fun, but the only time quitting crossed my mind this morning was on a downhill stretch. Anything worth doing will require perseverance, and God’s got amazing blessings for us in the Christian life if we keep going whether it feels like an easy jog or an uphill sprint right now.
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