01 Jul Endurance: The Key of Success – July 13

By Ferdinand Haratua

Have you ever wondered why some people are more successful than others? Do people achieve success because they are more talented or have high IQs? We know that human beings are not created equal, however, successful people do not have higher IQs or more talented than the rest.

Dr. Angela Duckworth, an assistant professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, did her research to discover what actually makes certain people more successful, she finds that surprisingly it is not a higher IQ or family income, but grit.

What is grit? The Bible has a lot to say about grit, the Bible calls it endurance. The apostle Paul encourages us to, “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Rom 5:3–4). Paul faced many sufferings and oppositions in his life, but he did not give up because he understood that suffering produces endurance. The word “endurance” means, “to maintain a belief or course of action in the face of opposition.”  Successful people endure even when life gets tough and when no one seems to believe in them.

One of the main reasons why people fail trying to lose weight is their lack of endurance. They might be successful for a month or two, but quickly gain their weight back soon after. To endure is to stick with a course of action with persistence. Life is not a sprint but a marathon.

If you are a disciple of Christ who is facing much opposition in your life, be encouraged that though there will be many tribulations, we must keep going for the one who endures will be saved (Matt 24:13). For Christians, endurance is not a trivial matter and it is not for any vain achievements. What at stake is our eternal destiny! Therefore, when you endure, endure joyfully, not miserably like one without hope.

Three main statements:

–          Successful people are not more talented or have higher IQs than the rest.

–          To endure is to maintain a belief or course of action in the face of opposition. Life is not a sprint but a marathon.

–          Though there will be many tribulations in life, we must keep going for the one who endures will be saved.