How can Endurance Shape Your Character and Attitude?

Endurance is a concept that many grapple with. To withstand pressure, trauma, tribulations and trials whilst remaining positive is no mean feat, and only the toughest survive. Endurance has a unique way of shaping character and exposing the core of one's attitude. 

What is endurance?

According to Google, there are two definitions of endurance:

The ability to endure an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way

The capacity of something to last or to withstand wear and tear

Strength can often come as a by-product when a person is willing to endure. To be able to ‘not give way and withstand wear and tear’ requires a level of dedication and pure discipline to fight against the odds. 

It is often hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you are constantly surrounded by darkness. If you are constantly being fed negativity and see negativity all around you, the likelihood of you encompassing that negativity is high. It is, therefore, easy to see why many struggle with endurance, especially when situations appear particularly bleak.

Remaining positive and not allowing your environment, which may be pushing you toward wear and tear, to affect you is a courageous act. It takes real strength to choose the opposite and not follow the status quo. Being able to withstand trials demonstrates true willpower and determination, especially because our minds are like minefields, and our inner voices can often work against us.

What do you gain from endurance?

Biblically, the reward for developing endurance is highlighted as follows: 

James 1:4 - ‘So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing’ NLT

Luke 21:19 - ‘By standing firm, you will win your souls’ NLT

Often, when we're under pressure, dealing with trauma or anxiety, or battling depression, the common response can be turning to drugs, alcohol, or sex. Sometimes, it doesn't even need to be those vices. Some of us may find comfort in overeating as comfort food is a real thing. Some of us may even become obsessed with the gym to channel any frustrations.  The point is, there are many different ways we all handle pain and finding a crutch is something humans naturally always resort to. When you reach a point where you can fully endure without resorting to numbing the pain and can truly feel, you’ll be able to take control and stop relying on external pleasures to fix what's wrong inside. To need nothing in those times of pain is a level of freedom because the reality is that external pleasures and validation aren’t always consistent and cannot always bring the satisfaction we may all be looking for. 

To endure is to gain control of your soul. When we are riddled with despair, we go into fight or flight and usually, flight looks like running away from your problems and issues and allowing external things to control your soul. 

Fighting allows you to face pain or trauma directly. When you don’t run away, you learn to understand yourself and, over time, equip yourself with the tools to survive through different seasons. Endurance can be a rewarding journey, contrary to popular belief, as it helps you discover your true core and identity. 

If you keep running away from yourself, you create a significant gap in understanding who you truly are, ultimately preventing you from building a lasting, nourishing relationship with yourself and God. You miss out on ways to self-soothe, to uplift, to build esteem and to learn from failure. 

There is a level of wisdom that can be developed from enduring as you begin to see what truly matters and can often place more value on the important things in life. 

Experiencing yourself through different seasons is a blessing, as it gives you the wisdom to tackle any storm. You might even find yourself standing in the rain and dancing in it too!

C O N S I D E R . . .

Mind - Mind over matter. What you believe is what you will achieve 

Body - Be still and reflect. Remember to take care of yourself. 

Soul - After hardship, there comes joy