Not Shrinking Back: When God Is Teaching You to Endure
“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” - Hebrews 10:35-36
I’m in a season right now where my endurance is being tested in more ways than one. In the physical, I’m training for my first half marathon. I’m eight weeks away from race day, and the closer it gets, the more worn out I feel.
Since I’m a new runner, I made the decision early on to train for longer than normal, 26 weeks, using the Runna app. My goal wasn’t just to finish the race. I wanted to actually become a runner. I wanted the habits, the discipline, the lifestyle that could carry me beyond one finish line.
And that meant doing it the slow way. The hard way.
My plan involves running three times a week, working out twice a week, eating clean, resting intentionally, and probably the most surprising thing of all—stretching. The part I used to ignore is now one of the most important things in my week. If I don’t stretch, everything tightens. I can’t move the way I need to. It’s the unseen part of the work that holds all the visible effort together.
I’m tired. I’m close to the goal, but somehow that makes it harder. And honestly, I feel this in the spiritual too.
The Spiritual Parallel
There are promises God has made that I’m still waiting on. Some days I feel steady. Other days, the waiting wears on me. It’s not that I don’t believe Him. I do. But sometimes I catch myself looking at other paths…easier ones, quicker ones, and wondering if I should start moving ahead of Him. Not because I’ve stopped trusting, but because waiting is hard.
But what I keep coming back to, both in training and in faith: is that God is teaching me endurance.
Why the Bible Talks About Racing
The metaphor of running shows up in Scripture for a reason. Paul and the early church lived in a Greco-Roman culture that celebrated Olympic and athletic competition. Everyone knew what a race was. Everyone understood the cost of training. It was a metaphor that made sense to the world around them, but it wasn’t just cultural. It was theological.
Running requires focus. It requires denying yourself comfort. It requires saying no to a hundred things that don’t look bad, but will slow you down. It requires discipline, rhythm, long-term thinking, and a reason that’s strong enough to keep going when the end still feels far off.
It’s not just about speed. It’s about staying in the race.
And that’s exactly what faith is.
Biblical References That Are Holding Me Together
These verses are ones I’ve been holding onto lately. It’s basically the book of Hebrews lol. And I’m not reading them to feel inspired. I’m reading them to remember what’s true:
"And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect." - Hebrews 11:39–40
"Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered." - Hebrews 5:8
“…where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf…” - Hebrews 6:20
The Bible doesn’t romanticize endurance. It doesn’t pretend it’s easy. In fact Paul’s acknowledgement and reminder of these things shows us that it’s hard. He knew it too. He was pressing on just as I am. And you too.
And while it doesn’t pretend it’s easy, it does say that it’s necessary. That it’s worth it. That it’s Christlike.
Jesus endured the cross. He pressed through pain and silence and betrayal and waiting. Jesus is the forerunner. He ran first. He ran best. And He’s not asking me to do something He avoided. He’s asking me to follow Him.
The Unseen Parts That Matter Most
Just like stretching is the unseen part of my training that’s become essential, I think the spiritual life is full of quiet disciplines that hold everything together. Prayer. Obedience. Stillness. Repentance. Trust. They’re not loud, but they’re the things that keep us from breaking when the weight increases.
I’ve learned that in running, rest is training. Stretching is training. They’re not side tasks. They’re part of the plan. And spiritually, it’s the same. Waiting is training. Trusting is training. Repenting is training. It’s not wasted time. It’s forming something.
Reflection Questions (Talk to God About This)
These aren’t fluffy journal prompts. These are for real reflection with God. If you’re in a season like mine, I’d encourage you to actually ask Him:
Lord, where in my life are you calling me to endure, not escape, not control, not rush — but endure by faith?
What pain, fear, or disappointment is causing me to lose confidence in you, and when did that begin?
Have I mistaken shrinking back for being wise or “realistic”? Am I giving something up that you told me to hold onto?
What paths look easier right now and are they actually invitations to trust you less?
Where do I need to stretch spiritually? The slow, quiet things that hold everything together?
Final Thoughts
I’m not shrinking back. Not from the race, and not from God. I’m not pretending it’s easy, either. This is hard. Mostly the mental part of it at this point in the training, the mental is way harder than the physical— but the physical is brutal sometimes too, haha.
But it’s also holy.
I’m looking forward to running the race in eight weeks and seeing all the hard effort be worth it. Honestly, every run, every short mile I add on, every time I finish and hit “complete” on that app I’m reminded that all the pushing through is always worth it.
And how much more is it worth it with Jesus?
I get that same sense every time I’m training something new spiritually. When I go harder, stretch past a comfort zone, address something in my heart with Him… every time I let myself be trained, stretched, or healed, that same voice meets me: this is worth it.
If you’re in a season like this too, I just want you to know: you’re not weak for feeling tired. Endurance isn’t the absence of struggle. It’s the decision to stay in the race because you know who you're running toward. And that reward is the greatest reward of all. Eternal and everlasting.
You don’t have to be fast. You just have to keep going.
Jesus is at the finish line. But He’s also in every step between here and there.
