Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
(Romans 5:3-5 ESV)
Many of the athletes following the weightlifting program will be able to resonate with some of the emotions expressed in this blog. Right now for anyone preparing for Nationals or the National qualifier, we are smack in the middle of some crazy volume and an extreme amount of work. This is the time during a training cycle when a good coach will facilitate great strength gain by creating an immense amount of work and volume to be later turned into added kilograms to your PR. That is exactly where I am at and if you’re following the weightlifting program then you know that struggle.
First Peter 1 is a good reminder that trial and hard work is one of the few things that creates excellence. Romans 5 echoes the same sentiment with its reminder that suffering only produces endurance and endurance later produces character. Suffering and trial is a means by which we are sanctified and made more holy. In the same way that squat volume and crazy clean complexes make us better lifters, life’s trials and suffering make us better men and women and ultimately make us more like Christ. He suffered and remained sinless amidst the suffering. Our suffering helps refine us to look more like Him.
No one looks forward to the hard stuff. More specifically, nobody asked for the hard stuff but deep down we all know that what is most hard often is the most beneficial. The is why we endure and breathe a sigh relief when we complete the hard stuff because we know that down the road the hard things produce greatness. This reality is true of both our workout and our life. Don’t run from what is hard. Embrace it and trust that amidst what is hard there’s always hope. Hope that you will PR. And hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ that one day suffering and trial will come to an end.