And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.
The journey toward our goals is just as important as the destination itself. The journey builds our patience, faith, endurance, and self-discipline. It prepares us for the destination.
Romans says that we can rejoice in trials because they bear the fruit of godly character (5:3–4). If the destination you are working toward still seems a long way off, think of it as character building. Maintaining a good attitude and keeping your trust in God while you wait is training you to be able to handle all the blessings and the challenges that come your way.
God has equipped us to achieve the dreams He’s put inside us. He wants to prepare us by building godly character in us so that we are able to handle future challenges with grace and future victories with humility. If we don’t have strong godly character, we will set ourselves up for failure, and we won’t be able to sustain our vision once it comes to pass.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul concludes by charging them to grow to maturity (2 Corinthians 13:11 NLT). The Amplified Bible says it like this: Be made complete [be what you should be]. The journey is where we become what we should be, where we are made complete.
Prayer of the Day: God, thank You for all of the opportunities You have given me to grow. Give me a positive attitude as I learn to rejoice even when challenges come. Help me remember that it is through these trials that I will become what I should be—what You created me to be, amen.
