Recently I read an article by Justin Bariso about mental toughness. He discussed several different aspects of what makes a person mentally tough.

I don’t have to tell you the importance of being mentally tough and being able to deal with the hard events and hard times of life.

Among many other aspects, a mentally tough person is patient. That surprised me immensely. I don’t believe I would ever have discussed patience as having to do with being mentally tough.

After thinking a few minutes, my reaction was, “of course it is!” You can’t be mentally tough without patience, perseverance, or steadfastness.

It’s only the mentally tough who can endure through difficult experiences. The person who has patience can look to the end. He can see what’s ahead and stick with it until that promise comes.

The apostle Paul was mentally tough. Maybe he was as mentally tough as anyone. He had the amazing ability to look beyond the present circumstances and see what the future held.

One time he talked about how the difficulties of this present time are nothing compared to the blessings awaiting us (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). That kind of attitude helps you endure the tough times of your life.

The impatient person can’t see that jobs are more difficult than they appear.

For example, two groups that I see that are impatient and impractical are prospective pastors and pastor search committees. Many of these groups expect instant success and instant gratification. The truth is that most churches don’t grow overnight. They are built on strong foundations and built by patient and enduring pastors and church members.

Isn’t it amazing that you build your mental toughness by building your patient endurance?

God promised us patience. The fruit of God’s Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience and five other enduring qualities.

Like everything else in the life of the believer, we gain patience by calling out to God and letting Him mold us into His image.

Jesus saw the big picture, knowing He was preparing 12 men to do a world wide task. On earth, Jesus never saw the result. But in heaven, there is rejoicing every day at the number of repentant sinners who come to faith in Christ.

Let us have that kind of resilience and patient, knowing that we’re doing a work with eternal consequences.

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