It took a lot of it to make it up that mountain (pictured). It’s also a word that has been on my heart for over a year.
Hebrews 12:1 tells us to throw off anything that slows us down, so we can run with endurance, the race that has already been marked out for us.
God tested my faith last year
and through the trials I found that my endurance and faith were not high. I was constantly running into failures and seeking my own way out of them.
My plan for my life was all I could see and all that I wanted. The hardships that I encountered were only slowing me down. I wasn’t willing to understand the idea that God might want me to go down a different path. I was experiencing the opposite of endurance. I was tired and strung out.
This past semester was not much better. If I’m being honest, a lot of these past 5 months has consisted of me enduring in the wrong way. Enduring the next practice. Enduring my next exam. Enduring a sickness. Constantly being sick, failed relationships, and uncertainty of where my degree was taking me, I felt the cycle of my sophomore year beginning again.
Things kept happening that were slowing me down and I prayed for them to stop. & then God answered my prayers. Not by giving me everything I had ever wanted (He actually took away most of the things that I thought were best for me).
Instead, He gave me a change of mindset.
I was going through the motions and simply getting through the tribulations. But now, I have faith that god’s plan is way [way] more superior than mine.
I now have faith that He has my best interest in mind. ALWAYS! In this I have found more purpose in my life.
Although some of my whys may not be answered the way I want them to be, I know that everything is all in God’s timing, and ultimately to bring me closer to him.
I have uncovered my passions in life and can see a light at the end of the tunnel for my degree. I’ve grown closer with people who encourage me and celebrate my successes and constantly point me back to the truth (even when it is extremely hard!!)
So whatever season of life you are in, endure with a purpose. Not only endure it, but seek what God is teaching you, reflect on it & grow from it.
thanks for reading,
Julia