Trained to Endure

Years ago, I trained several collegiate athletic teams. Believe it or not, one of the most challenging tasks was taking my athletes through rigorous workouts. Even after observing the frustration and discomfort in their eyes, I’d often get on them for cutting corners, giving up, and/not giving their best effort. Workouts were brutal and I’m sure at the time, the athletes didn’t like me …at all! I was often tempted to lighten the load or allow them to quit without achieving their training goals, because I honestly hated to see the look in their eyes. They were uncomfortable and sometimes …hurting!! But the thing that prevented me from giving them a way out was understanding my responsibility to prepare them for the rigors of their sport. I was solely responsible for ensuring their bodies were equipped to handle a full season of competition. 

Likewise, God does not take satisfaction in our suffering. Yet, He knows it’s necessary. We’ve got to mature to the point of refusing to bail out of training, and despising God when we are challenged. When my athletes didn’t meet their physical standards, they had to repeat the training! And the same goes for us …God knows what we need, and He doesn’t mind taking us through trials until we get it right! That’s love. 

As much as I hated putting my athletes through rigorous training, I rejoiced when they completed the session! More importantly, I basked in the looks on their faces when they realized they could actually perform something, they initially thought they couldn’t. Then imagine the actual competition, when they demonstrated the physical fortitude to compete at a high level!