MENTAL TOUGHNESS IS VALUING THE STRUGGLE

There is value in the struggle.
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One can only imagine the resistance Noah faced in his day. God told him to build an ark to prepare for the coming rain. “Rain? What’s that?” It had never rained before. “Build an ark? What’s an ark and who builds one in their back yard?”

Imagine the ridicule and the mockery from his neighbors as they would daily hurl their contempt at him. He was the brunt of jokes. His family were the laughing stock of the town. But he never stopped building. He never stopped warning or preaching of the coming judgment. For an entire century he persisted; he labored at this work, both building the ark and calling people to repentance. But none repented, except those of his own household. It’s mental toughness at its best and perhaps there is no greater example than this Old Testament Saint.

Now consider the striking contrast between Noah and another Old Testament figure, the prophet Jonah. Jonah was called by God to preach to the people of Nineveh. After a brief stint of rebellion, Jonah forced himself to walk the city preaching repentance and the coming judgment of God. Amazingly, the entire city accepted his warnings and repented in sackcloth and ashes. Here is the point: Noah preached for a hundred years and only seven people were saved. Jonah preached for one day and over a hundred thousand were saved. But which man made it into the Hebrews Hall of Fame? Noah! Why? Because Noah had true faith. He endured. He persisted. He persevered. Noah was a man of extreme mental toughness.

The lesson is obvious. God holds more esteem for the man or woman who perseveres than for the one who attracts a crowd. Anyone can be steadfast when the crowd is cheering them on. But one’s true worth is revealed in hardship, when you’re alone, when no one is cheering you on. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross said, “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”

​The next level is not a place for those who are easily wounded and whimper away in the face of disappointment. You will not find them there. Those who have given up when the battle became fierce—those who retreated their advance when friends abandoned and the crowd stopped cheering—they remain with the forgotten, with those who never left a mark or never made a difference, in the graveyard of anonymity.

That place we call the next level is for the those who endured. It can only be achieved by an upward climb. John Maxwell said, “Everything worthwhile in your life is uphill—everything.” Why? Because the climb is what makes us better. It’s not winning that improves our character. It’s the fight to win, the will to overcome, the determination to get up and keep going. That’s why Paul used the phrase “more than conquerors.” Conquerors are satisfied only with winning. Those who are more than conquerors understand that the greatest victory is not a winning score, it’s the will to endure. The will to finish strong—to stay in the marathon, even when we’re wounded, even though others have already won, even though the crowd has gone home and no one is there with cheers and awards.

True winners—more than conquerors—understand that the real contest is against ourselves. The greatest victory is overcoming that part of us that wants to back down, complain about fairness, and look for an excuse to quit. This is the place where we discover wisdom, we learn character, we develop integrity, and forge humility.

To summarize, consider the words of former Navy SEAL, Eric Greitens, “There are a few things that human beings must do to live well: breathe, sleep, drink, eat, and love. To this list I’d add: struggle. We need challenges to master and problems to solve. If we are trapped in a life where everything is provided for us, our minds fail to grow, our relationships atrophy, and our spirits deteriorate.”9

There is value in the struggle.

For more practical advice on “Mental Toughness,” check out my newest book, Upward: Taking Your Life to the Next Level.

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