That Which Endures

At the Ragnar Wasatch Back finish line in 2009

I've been thinking a lot about endurance this year.

You see, to be completely honest it's been a pretty tough 52 weeks for me and my family. If I were to put it in athletic terms, I'd call it a "building period."

We've been stretching. Growing.
Physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.

It hasn't been entirely pleasant all the time. In fact, some days have been almost comical in the way Murphy's law continually played out right in front of my eyes.

I've laughed a lot. I've cried a lot.
I've even done both at the same time! A lot!

But truly, despite the struggle of some days, it has been a wonderful year. There is much to be thankful for, even in the hardest moments.

In scripture, we read frequently about "enduring to the end."

Behold, we count them happy which endure. (James 5:11)

Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days. (D&C 24:8)

In our culture, it seems that we typically interpret this phrase "endure to the end" as one of those necessary evils of life. A drudgery, akin to slaving away in a chain gang ripped out of a Carson McCullers novella. 'Endure' is synonymous with pain, difficulty. Just thinking about it makes people tired.

Coming from an athletic background, this take has always intrigued me a little.

I swam competitively for over ten years, and coached for many, many more afterward. Being that I am decidedly short and curvy, I myself have never been praised for my natural sprinting abilities. I simply don't have the physical attributes necessary to succeed against a competitive field of Missy Franklin look-alikes. But the endurance events, ah! That's where I finally was able to find my niche.

Which leads me to this important thought:

In athletics, endurance is not a bad thing.  
To the contrary, it is something to strive for.

Jarom running his 135 mile ultra through the mountains of Brazil

To illustrate, Bryson and I have a crazy friend named Jarom. (And he knows that I say that with the greatest degree of affection!)

He is a professional ultra-marathoner.

His every-day training runs are distances that I have to train for months on end just to have a prayer at even finishing!

When I think of endurance, I think of Jarom. In my head, he is endurance incarnate.

But here's the thing. Even though he has seemingly super-human stamina, he doesn't just sit on his laurels looking down at us peasants. I suppose he could, but he doesn't! Instead, he uses his abilities, his hard-earned endurance level to help those around him.

Pacing runners at local marathons that are trying to set personal records.
Teaching children in local public schools.
Helping former addicts turn their lives around by working with Addict II Athlete, a group that helps individuals substitute a healthy physical habit for their previous self-destructing one. 

Look what endurance can accomplish.

Albert Einstein once said, "In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity."
Opportunity for growth. Opportunity to serve. Opportunity to lift.

Is it tough? ABSOLUTELY.

Anyone who has trained for a distance that seemed ridiculously impossible can tell you of the challenge in meeting their goal. But with continued discipline and a fixed determination, gradually the training becomes easier. Why? Because our fitness level has risen up to meet the challenge. The end goal becomes closer, and increasingly more realistic.

Maybe life is a little like that too.

Wasatch Back - 2009

After all, if muscle needs to be broken down by the tiny micro-fissures that result from proper training in order to be built back stronger, then perhaps it is not such a far-off conclusion that our spirits grow best in a similar manner.

What would happen if we thought of difficult times as building years? What if we approached the dark and desolate days as opportunities for trusting in our ultimate Coach and continued forward in faith to increase our endurance?

How much spiritual strength could be gained?
And how might we be able to then turn around and serve those around us?

As I look back on the events of this year, I realize how much I have grown. Oh, I am still a big huge mess most days, but slowly God is polishing some of this roughness away. And if there's one thing He has taught me these last couple of months it is that I am stronger than I have dared to realize and that through Him nothing is impossible.

 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward... and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Ne. 31:20)

And so I plod along the path as best I can, running "with patience the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1)

All the while, this anthem plays on repeat inside my heart:

 
Take my life, take all that I am.
Take my heart, take all that I have.

It's just a building year, nothing to be afraid of.

His grace is always sufficient. Like an avalanche.
So, come along.
Let's do it together.