Day 10 – The Exchange: 21 Days of Spiritual Swaps

I don’t understand people that love doing workouts. I find exercise difficult and I often need someone to make me do it.

I struggle to push through to the end of a workout and find that my mind quits really early on. When someone shouts at me telling me that there is only “5 more seconds” left of workout torture… I give up. I don’t always do the remaining 5 seconds. I tell myself… “I can’t!”

Spiritually, I feel like I am growing a lot at the moment. But, I absolutely hate growing. I don’t like learning, because learning often requires you to step out – fail – and then step out again.

I would much rather bypass the failing part and skip ahead to the A** grade.

When I fail at something, I feel devastated. Emotionally, everything in me wants to quit.

And if someone sees me failing… well that’s another level of pain I absolutely hate to endure.

Yet, as I write to you this morning, I know I am supposed to swap those feelings of quitting for endurance.

Romans 5: 3-5 says:

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5: 3-5, NIV

I wish I had something more encouraging to say! I want to tell you that you don’t have to go through suffering. I wish I could tell you that you don’t have to endure this one, sit this out – you’ll be fine.

But I can’t tell you that, because I want what is best for you.

And what is best for you is: walking through suffering that produces perseverance, character and hope.

I’ve heard people say that they are so glad they failed. A student pastor once told me that his first preach was absolutely terrible. Yet, he got up the next day and endured. He would gladly put himself out there, inviting students to watch him preach at church, without bowing to a fear of failure or rejection.

My husband also embraces failure. He rarely listens to my wisdom (!) but frequently opts for learning from mistakes. As a result, he carries a confidence that isn’t arrogant. He is also one of the least self-serving people I know. He has an awareness that he is not the bee’s knees! His character has clearly endured.

I know that everything in you may want to curl up into a ball and cry right now. Failing isn’t fun. But enduring and not quitting is worth it.

You and I are going to give our desire to quit to God. Surrender it and instead choose endurance.

Yes, be real with God about how you are feeling. But then make a choice to keep going. Pick yourself up and try again.

I don’t know what trying again looks like for you today. Maybe you need to own your mistakes and text someone with a “sorry.” Maybe you need to re-do that essay, one more time. Maybe you literally need to say “thank you God for this situation” until you believe it.

For me, I did the workout – all 30 minutes of it. And I’m re-editing a piece of work, which I have already spent many hours on.

Whatever perseverance looks like, please know that you are incredibly powerful, brave and there are better days ahead of this.

Action Point

• Come to God with your desire to quit, be brutally honest with Him. Ask Holy Spirit what endurance looks like in you situation.