“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.”
Romans 5:3-5 (RSV)
When I was a child, if my brothers or I got hurt while we were playing, my Greek father used to tell us, “You’re a Spartan, you’re okay.” He was from the region of Greece, known as Sparta, where legendary warriors were known for being highly resistant to the hardships of war, cold, hunger, thirst or pain. Part legend and part history, I learned that Spartan children actually were trained from an early age to have high endurance.
Every Christian is spiritually a soldier of Christ. Paul told the Ephesian church to put on the full armor of God and stand firm in their faith. As Spartan soldiers used to strive for physical endurance, Christians strive for the endurance of faith. We stand firm with perseverance during hardship or pain, when trouble comes in like a flood. The spiritual battles to keep our faith strong is something we engage in daily. We are all veteran survivors in a spiritual army of God.
I’ve written once before about a true story of an 84 year old retired Navy seal, who survived Hurricane Ian in 2022. The hurricane washed away his home in Fort Meyers, Florida, but he survived by floating on his own leather sofa, using it as a lifeboat. He was without food or water for 26 hours, until found by rescue teams.
He had a pre-existing cardiac health condition, so the whole stressful ordeal could have triggered a heart attack, but he remained calm the whole time. He later told his son that he was never afraid while floating on flood waters because that’s what he was trained for. He may have been a retired senior citizen, with cardiac health issues, but he self identified as a Navy Seal veteran, trained to survive in deep water, hunger, thirst, cold or pain.
I was amazed at his bravery and endurance which kept him calm and alive until rescuers found him 26 hours later. He was dehydrated and weary, but after being checked out in a local hospital, he was discharged in good health.
My coworker at the time shared this incredibly true story with me, because that 84 year old is his father. His story touched me because I learned a valuable lesson from it. His father said he was never afraid because it’s what he was trained for. Despite his age and poor cardiac health, once a veteran of survival, always a veteran of survival.
While thinking about him, I realized we are all veterans of survival of our faith. We have been trained through the many trials that tested our faith. We have learned to survive the deep flood waters of spiritual warfare, pain, hunger, thirst or cold. We have been through spiritual hurricanes that rushed in and overflowed our place of comfort and stability, but God has brought us through every storm before, and He will do it again.
We are trained and prepared as veteran survivors of faith. When the flood waters rush in, we find a way to float on our lifeboat of hope and faith, until Jesus rescues us. We may be dehydrated and weary when our rescue comes, but we have gained the most valuable of all virtues, endurance.
Endurance is the greatest virtue since no other virtue can be sustained without it. Faith, hope or love have little value if they do not endure the tests and trials of life. Endurance, through tribulation, is what builds character and character brings hope, and we need renewed hope every day. Each one of us is the tested and trained spiritual version of a Navy Seal.
We are all led by the Master of endurance, who is Jesus. He will bring us through all flood waters with renewed hope and perfect peace.
Lord, renew our hope today and give us the strength of endurance, so that all other virtues will follow as well. Amen
