Values Quotes – William Barclay on Endurance

Todays quote is from William Barclay, a Scottish author who was also a minister in the Church of Scotland.

An insightful quote from Barclay is:
“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.”

Now that’s taking the long view on the value of endurance.

As a differentiating value, Endurance means the power to withstand hardship or stress; or the measure of a person’s stamina.

When I think of endurance, I think of someone running a 26-mile marathon, or the Rowing Race across the Atlantic of almost 3,000 miles.

Sometimes the stress someone experiences is all contained within the person. When you’re tired and feeling weak, it’s your stamina that will determine if you finish.

Other times, hardships are external, such as experiencing a tropical storm in the middle of a rowing race across the ocean. In such cases, your stamina is needed just to survive.

But when Barclay suggests that real endurance is turning a hard experience into glory, he takes it to a whole new level. To overcome both internal and external challenges AND achieve victory is truly a testament of endurance.

So, in whatever area of life you’re having to endure, maybe your thought is just to survive.

Well, I encourage you to consider Barclay’s comment about endurance. Do more than just survive – finish the race. When you finally celebrate victory you turn your endurance into glory.

 

Today’s value was selected from the “Determination-Focus” category, based on the e-book Developing Your Differentiating Values.