A boy entered a store and asked to purchase some soap. The clerk grinned and said, "And what are you going to do with this soap?" The boy said he needed to wash his cat. The man laughed and said, "You can't wash your cat with this soap." Nevertheless the boy bought the soap. In a couple of weeks the boy entered the store again and the clerk asked him how things went with his cat. The boy sadly reported that the cat had died. The clerk said, "I told you that you couldn't wash your cat with that soap." The boy said, "I don't think it was the soap that did him in as much as the spin cycle."
There are times in which we feel like we are in the 'spin cycle.’ One problem or trial after another. Through the strength of God's word, prayer, and the help of others we are able to cycle through that which seemed impossible to endure. A faith that has been proven is indeed a faith worth having. It is the faith that overcomes the world (I John 5:4).
For a runner in the early stages of his training, building endurance can be very difficult. Often, instead of enduring the pain of longer and faster runs, the temptation is to simply quit, but in so doing endurance cannot be achieved. For the runner’s purpose, the only option is to go on, one step after the other. So it is with our faith. There are no short-cuts. Keep the faith. Be an overcomer. Endurance is a trait that will serve you well.
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4).
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