Endurance

I have to admit it: I am not enjoying this summer very much.

Back in January, we asked you to try something new (see page 6 of the January issue). It may sound funny to you, but the staff of ec often go along and do the very things we’re telling you to do in your lives.

My “new thing” in January was signing myself up for ballet class. I’ve been going once a week since the end of January, and I love it. I’ve learned so much, and I don’t feel so clumsy. It’s hard work, but I don’t mind working hard (and neither should you).

So in the middle of my long, hot, dreadful summer (which could be a lot worse), I also hit the wall last night in my ballet class.

You know what hitting the wall is, right? When you’re running and you can’t breathe and your legs muscles seize up and won’t work anymore? In the Tour de France, the month-long, 2,000+ mile bicycle race, they say a rider has “cracked” when he just can’t do any more. Sometimes hitting the wall is physical, and sometimes—like last night was for me—it’s mental.

When you “crack” physically, it’s pretty easy to know what you need. Rest, sleep, a break from whatever activities caused you to hit the wall in the first place. But what about when you crack mentally?

Last night near the end of class, my teacher was giving us instructions about what to do next, and I simply got overwhelmed. I was on the wrong leg, I was trying not to fall over, I didn’t feel good physically...and my brain joined the fun by saying all kinds of junk to me. I know I’m going to be the worst one in the class at this, I thought as I tried to listen. A few minutes later, I don’t feel good. I really should go sit down and wait this out. My mind was suddenly my enemy, resistant to the training I was getting and in full-out rebellion.

This obviously isn’t the first time my mind has tried to get me to give up. And if it hasn’t already happened to you, your brain will someday play this trick on you.

Because the real question is not, can you—it’s will you. And, it’s a question that will be asked in one way or another of you your whole life. Will you work hard to make good grades? Will you be a faithful friend? Will you do what you say you’ll do? And of course, will you get this ballet combination or not?

You see, you can find a lot of instances in Scripture where Christians are told to apply their will in a situation. You could sum it up like this: “work hard and apply yourself, but leave the results to God.” Right? Paul said it: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth (1 Cor. 3:6). Paul had to decide to plant, and Apollos had to decide to water.

Leaving the results to God is often very difficult, but it can be just as hard to apply our own will to getting something done. Have you hit the wall? Do you need a mental break from all you’re doing, even though it’s summertime? Is the idea of a new school year making you feel stressed out already? Are you really, truly struggling?

Sometimes we Christians get so caught up in the idea of struggling against something that we forget that struggling is really trying to hold on to the very thing we aren’t supposed to be doing. If you’re struggling to do something that is a question of your will—don’t. Just make a decision and get it done. If you’re struggling not to do something that is a question of your will, just stop. Just quit it. Don’t entertain the thought of a struggle. Commit yourself to your course of action, and follow through. At first it will be difficult—but it will get easier.

Mental endurance is made up of tiny little decisions of your will. Pick what you are going to do, and stick to it. Let all your little decisions contribute to your success.

Try this: Look at your situation as objectively as possible, and just do the next thing. You probably can’t see your way through to the end of most situations, but you probably can see what your next step should be. Try focusing on just that. For me, in my class last night, I gave myself an internal shake and said to myself, You’re not giving up. Do this and be the worst if you have to, but you are going to do it. And then I did. And it wasn’t that hard, I wasn’t the worst, I didn’t die, and I didn’t embarrass myself.

My “next thing” was to push back against my own fears and apply my will to overcome my feelings. To do what I’d decided to do. It’s hard to do that, of course. But you can do it. The question really is, will you?