Endurance Precedes Enjoyment By Abimbola Abatta

“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.” —William Barclay

I have always held this notion—including a host of people—that marriage, life, and every other thing should be enjoyed, not endured.

But recently, while brooding on the word “endurance”, it came to me in a different perspective. I realised that endurance precedes enjoyment. And we cannot enjoy if we cannot endure.

When I was an undergraduate, I remember vividly a period of trials. I was fed up with school. I was literally tired of the struggles and toils. Yet I endured them all. Days of sleepless nights spent on studying; lectures flickered by in a haste. 

The goal kept me going. The joy of being a graduate and creating an enabling environment for my future to thrive kept me pushing. I had to endure those seemingly unending four years because my eyes were fixed on the prize.

Similarly, in Christiandom, Jesus Christ endured the shame of the cross and death so that humanity might be saved. He endured that ugly phase, and now, he's enjoying at the right hand of the Father.

If farmers cannot endure the pre-planting and growing phase, they won't enjoy the harvest. Their eyes are fixed on the prize (harvest, income); hence, they persevere through the days of tilling the ground, cultivating the land, irrigating the soil, and weeding the farm.

Endurance means perseverance, patience, and persistence. It measures your stamina in the face of unpleasant situations. Storms might rage around us, but only those who endure will reach the shore.

As a student, you must endure the phase of schooling to enjoy the next phase. Even if you attend the best of schools, you will encounter situations that will test your endurance.

In marriage, no matter who you marry, no matter how perfect your spouse might seem, there will be things to endure. In life, no matter how great your education, background, past experiences might seem, certain events will demand perseverance from you.

Whether you are an employee, employer, artisan, job-seeker, business owner, or whomever, you must possess the virtue of endurance.

If you can't endure the night, you can't enjoy the sunrise. Joseph, the dreamer boy, endured the unpleasant season of slavery, but he enjoyed in the end. Only those who endure till the end can enjoy the fruits of success. 

Before my pen takes a nap, ponder on these words by Eric Greitens: “Resilience is distinct from mere survival, and more than mere endurance. Resilience is often endurance with direction.”

Did you catch that? Let's chat in the comments section.

FOOTNOTE: I am Abimbola Abatta, and I desire to etch impact, influence, and inspiration through written words. I hope you were inspired by these words. You can reach out to me here: abimbola.abatta@gmail.com

© Abimbola Abatta