In the previous article, we spoke of “tolerance” which is known to nobody save the strong. Today, we shall tackle “endurance”. Both tolerance and endurance strengthen each other. Never have we heard that a tolerant person lacks in endurance. Thus, the more your endurance is, the more tolerant you become.
We do marvel when a person endures hardships that might drive others crazy, whereas another breaks down with the simplest problem. Endurance is not acquired with the twinkle of an eye. Rather, it is acquired with the attributes that boost it like maturity.
The secret of endurance finds its abode within man: for it requires deep faith that is rooted in man’s mind and heart. Such faith cannot be shaken by life’s turmoil: for man believes in God, the Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient, and that God wants what is good for humans. Thanks to this deep faith, man feels safe and peaceful, relying on God in everything, yet doing his best. This is not understood except by whoever abides by God’s commandments, offering the society love, kindness, justice, and honesty.
Endurance grows with training. A quick glimpse on life will make us realize that an athlete has a daily work-out to reach the fitness required for championships. Thus, he moves from simple training to harder and more complex ones. On the psychological level, man is trained on simple pressures when he endures events or circumstances that he does not desire, like admitting his mistakes and apologizing for them. He continues doing so until he is able to endure worse types of pressure.
On the spiritual level, whoever fasts trains himself on enduring hunger and thirst for a while. Likewise, he trains himself on refraining from the food he likes. Thus, he gradually forsakes whatever he loves for God. Moreover, whoever trains himself on prayer endures the pain of standing or worshipping for a while. He refrains from his favorite activities. These exercises become more profound as man trains himself on not returning evil with evil, until he reaches loving his enemies.
Humbleness boosts man’s endurance. According to the Austrian poet Franz Grillparzer, “Endurance increases with humbleness; an arrow never acquires strength, unless it is bent.” Eventually, be sure that God would not permit hardships that you cannot endure at any point of time. Rather, He allows such hardships to alight upon you occasionally that you might become stronger in facing life and overcoming crises, trusting Him, and that you might acquire the best of life’s blessings.
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
