Endurance

By Donna McCrary –

Endurance is the ability or power to bear prolonged exertion, pain or hardship; toleration of hardship; persistence over time.

Endurance is the soldier’s sleepless nights listening to the bombs exploding.Endurance is the athlete’s relentless pursuit of perfection to master a skill.

Endurance is the farmer who works tirelessly for the sweet taste of an apple or a fresh ear of corn.

Endurance is Paul’s experiences in prison for sharing the gospel.

Endurance is Joseph sitting in prison wrongfully accused of rape for three years.

Endurance is Noah building a giant boat without ever seeing a drop of rain.

Endurance is David waiting for his rightful place as King.

Endurance is staying power.

Endurance is patience.

Endurance is survival.

Endurance is stamina.

Endurance is continued existence.

Endurance is fortitude.

Endurance is a trait of a Christ Follower who has learned where their strength comes from.

As Paul explained to Timothy there will be times in our journey where we don’t feel we can endure any longer; a breaking point where our faith seems to run out. Endure anyway because God is always faithful.

If we could ask a soldier, an athlete, a farmer, Paul, Timothy, Joseph, David, and Noah if it was worth it; worth the pain, the hardship; I believe we would hear a resounding OOOOORAHHHH!

PRAYER: God forgive me for the times when I get lazy, or gripe and complain about my circumstances. You have called me to a life of endurance for Your kingdom’s sake. Father, give me an attitude of thankfulness.”

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints inheritance in the light” (Colossians 1:11 HCSB).

Spiritual Muscle

By Donna McCrary –

Stress. Fatigue. Exhaustion. Strenuous. These words are not typically associated with making things stronger; except in the world of muscle building. Look up any blog or “How-to guide” on ways to increase muscle and you will find phrases such as ‘trigger the muscle building process by stressing the muscle;’ ‘fatigue the muscle to breakdown muscle fibers;’ ‘work the muscle to the point of exhaustion;’ or ‘muscle fibers will breakdown after strenuous exercise.’ The process to develop stronger muscle requires exercise designed to rip tiny fibers in the muscle. After a time of rest, the muscle will heal and become stronger.

Is spiritual muscle built in the same manner? In order for us, as Christ Followers, to grow stronger and become more resilient in our faith must we first be stressed, fatigued, and exhausted by strenuous experiences?

A quick journey through the scriptures confirms that spiritually fit people experienced times of stress, fatigue and exhaustion. Think about it. Living inside a great sea creature for three days like Jonah had to be a little stressful. Standing in front of a nine-foot-something warrior must have been stressful for David, the puny red headed baby of the family. Spending the night with hungry lions in a den must have been exhausting for Daniel. The one that makes me laugh is Peter. Image how stressed, frustrated and exhausted Peter had to be to scream at a little girl who simply asked if he knew Jesus. Big Peter versus little girl. Little girl wins. Now that is stress!

God uses stressful, exhausting, strenuous experiences in our life to help us strengthen our spiritual muscle. These times of intense training break down the fibers of who we are. Then after rest and healing, it produces stronger spiritual fibers because we gain a deeper understanding of who we are in Christ. During these strenuous training periods we recognize our strength comes from Christ. We recognize the truth of His Word. We stretch our faith to extents we did not think possible. Each training session requires us to build spiritual muscle.

Every soldier has to go through exhausting training exercises before they reach the battlefield. Every athlete participates in strenuous training before game day. Every farmer labors beyond fatigue before they reap the fruit. Every Christ Follower experiences seasons of stress, exhaustion, and fatigue in order to produce strong spiritual muscle.

Don’t forget – Training is hard but victory is sweet!

PRAYER: Father, help me desire to grow stronger in You even though that could mean struggles and difficult circumstances. Help me embrace the training necessary to fulfill the purpose You have established for me.

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3-4 ESV).

Wanna-be Scrapbooker

By Donna McCrary –

I’m a wanna-be-scrapbooker. I have the pictures, books, pens, papers, and stickers. I even own the cool tote that neatly keeps my tools together while they linger in the closet, collecting dust. I love the thought of preserving memories of birthdays, holidays and vacations with flare. Thumbing through pictures and experiencing the memories of the past is an enjoyable pastime. My passion stems from the old adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

As a writer, trying to convey a principle or evoke a connection can be a mind boggling task. But a picture can do that in an instant. Pictures are worth a thousand words because they instantaneously connect a person to an event, concept, or emotion.

I think God is also a wanna-be-scrapbooker. He uses word pictures throughout scripture. He paints numerous pictures and puts them in a book knowing generations would be able to connect to the principles He is describing.

Just look at some of the snap shots He uses to describe His Word.

Food: picture a big juicy steak, a warm apple pie and chocolate. Food is something we consume every day; something many of us don’t go without. Something that is necessary for energy, nourishment. God wants us to crave and hunger for His word more than food. Jesus says, “Man cannot live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt.4:4).

Sword: a deadly weapon used to defend and kill. razor sharp, made of hard steel, protection. God’s Word will cut out the sinful aspects in a believer’s life. God’s Word serves as protection in daily battles (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12).

Fire: destructive, hot, burning, consuming. Fire is used to purify. Once impurities (bad habits, poor choices, negative thoughts, anger, addictions, etc.) are removed a beautiful impression of God shines through (Jeremiah 23:29).

Light: illumination, source of brightness, opposite of darkness. God says His Word will help us determine the right choices to make (Psalm 119:105). Where there is light, darkness cannot prevail.

Mirror: source of true reflection. A mirror cannot lie. God’s Word is a true reflection of Jesus. Look into it daily. Study the reflection. Does it match the image and character of Jesus?

If not, keep consuming the food, using the sword, and allowing the fire to purify. Soon a beautiful reflection of Christ will start to emerge.

Enjoy God’s scrapbook. It is delightful pastime!

PRAYER: “God, help me crave Your Word more than I crave the things of this world. Help me to use Your Word to guide my decisions today. Give me a willing spirit to allow Your Word to penetrate the depths of my heart and purify my thoughts and actions. May Your Word change me.”

“Be like newborn babies who are thirsty for the pure spiritual milk that will help you grow and be saved” (1 Peter 1:2).

My Weakness is His Strength

By Donna McCrary –

“Mom, why are you crying? What is wrong with your voice?” These are not the words I wanted to hear as I exited the church platform.

It was a simple invitation to an upcoming women’s event at my church – a basic two minute date-time-and-place announcement. As I sat down at my seat my daughter’s innocent questions only added more injury to my already crushed speaking ego. I was nervous and overwhelmed with panic during the two minute announcement. My face was flush with a red glow from the “flight or fight” adrenaline rush. I was positive my pounding heart echoed over my cracking voice. Yes, it was that bad! Once I regained my composure and my breath, I made a silent vow to never again hear my voice crackling across any sound system.

Normally, I choose not to re-visit this awkward moment in my speaking career but today as I read this verse I chuckled. “But he (Jesus) said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 2:9). I have a weakness. My flight response is much stronger than my fight when it comes to standing on a stage. Public speaking is one of the highest ranking fears and I second that motion!

I have kept my vow to never hear my quivering voice over any loud speaker again. It has taken many days on my knees claiming every “fear not” and “speak boldly” scripture I can find to overcome this fear. To be truly honest, when I take my place on stage before any speaking event I am still the red-faced-heart-pounding-quivering-voice person. The difference is I now accept my weakness and allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me. I am always amazed at how nervous I feel right up to the moment when I am handed a microphone. Then and only then do I feel the calming Spirit settle my nerves.

After speaking events and retreats when individuals from the audience share compliments like, “You are natural on stage,” “You have such a way with words,” “You are a great speaker,” I graciously and humbly say thank you. I know my biggest weakness has become one of my favorite strengths because Christ’s “power has been made perfect in me.”

PRAYER: “Father, I thank You for creating me with weakness so I can fully comprehend Your strength and power. May You always be visible in my words and actions, both on and off the stage.”

“But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT).

Super Christian Status

By Donna McCrary –

This is the year! The right time for a clean slate, a fresh beginning, a “re-do” on all the failed attempts from last year at reaching my most desired accomplishment – Super Christian status.

Go ahead. Join me in my fist-pumping-face-smacking-pep-rally as I set my sights on this amazing accomplishment. I know I can do this! I have reviewed and updated my failed action items list from last year. I made it more realistic and added a few activities that will definitely secure my nomination for Super Christian status. One final review as the new year approaches:

Read through the Bible in a year
Get up before the rooster crows to spend thirty minutes praying for my needs, desires, the sick and dying
Attend a weekly small group on Sunday morning and Wednesday night
Attend worship on Sunday morning and evening
Attend a women’s conference mid-year for a pick me up
Volunteer for VBS, two mission trips, choir, and Ladies Night Coordinator
I will leave salvation tracts on the table for my waitress (this should confirm my nomination)

Super Christian Award you are all mine this year!!

It’s sad to admit, but this was me several years ago. As a Life Coach, I appreciate the value of setting goals and taking action. But for me, the Super Christian status became more valuable than the Most Valuable. I was putting more emphasis on the action items than on the One I was doing the action for. I was wrapped up in the mentality of checking it off the list.

Last year, when I was reviewing and preparing for my fist-pumping-face-smacking-pep-rally I realized how much focus I had placed on “religious activities.” I was becoming a modern-day Pharisee. I went through the emotions and actions of being a Christian but I didn’t have a relationship with Christ.

This realization gave me new direction. I put my goals and action items aside. Don’t get me wrong! I still attended worship, read my Bible, and prayed, but I didn’t check it off as a strategic action item when I finished. I simply enjoyed the moments spent with my Father! I discovered I didn’t need an action plan to reach Super Christian status, because now I deeply desire to experience the One that loves me and that alone drives all the necessary action steps.

PRAYER: “God, forgive me for making my goals and aspirations my god. Help me this year to spend time with You so I can experience Your love and friendship daily.”

BIBLE VERSE: “This is what the Lord says: The wise must not boast in his wisdom; the mighty must not boast in his might; the rich must not boast in his riches. But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows ME- that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. [This is] the Lords’ declaration.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

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