Endurance of Faith

I pray for my children  -- a lot.

 I pray that they will stay close to God, that they will be strong individuals, that they will be kind and good, and that they will be happy. That is probably the wish and prayer for most parents, not just today, but throughout time.

In the Old Testament Hannah prayed for her son, Samuel.  And I am sure Mary spent hours praying for her son, Our Savior.

I came across this verse as I read in the Book of Mormon this morning of a tender parent to his son written 1600 years ago: I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end.

It makes me feel connected to the people that I read about; like we have a common bond.

One thing that struck me about the verse this morning wasn't just the acknowledgment of praying for his son, but it was what he prayed for, in particular the term endurance of faith.

I love that term. Faith is not a once-time thing. It is not a sprint. It is a marathon. We must keep our faith, mile after mile, in every footstep, as we race through life to the end.

Sometimes we will feel weak, sometimes we might falter. But we must remember that this is not a race to see if you will finish first-- but a race to see how you will finish.

Endure in faith. Finish in faith. That is how you win the race.