“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)
The wall sit is a perfect picture of what endurance looks like. Your legs are shaking, everything in you wants to quit, but you stay under the weight because you know it’s making you stronger. That’s the word “hupomone,” the ability to remain under pressure. When hardship comes into your life, your first instinct might be to escape it, numb it, or blame God for abandoning you. But what if God hasn’t abandoned you at all? What if He’s actually strengthening you through the very thing you want to escape?
Hope that endures doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine. It means leaning into your future certainty even in your present uncertainty. It’s knowing that the kingdom is coming, that Jesus will return, that God is working all things for your good even when you can’t see it yet. This kind of hope allows you to sit in your suffering without running for comfort. It lets you stay in a difficult job, a hard season of parenting, a painful relationship, or a financial struggle because you trust that God is doing something in you that you can’t yet see. The coach will blow the whistle eventually, but until then, stay under the weight.
Reflect:
- What current difficulty are you tempted to escape rather than endure?
- How might God be using this hardship to build character and hope in your life?
- Tell God honestly about the suffering you’re experiencing, and ask Him for the strength to endure it with hope fixed on His future promises.
