“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:16).
I get cold just thinking about it.
“Endurance” is a NY Times best-selling book written in 1959 about Ernest Shackelford’s dangerous voyage in 1914 to Antarctica. His audacious plan was to cross the Antarctic continent on foot. The book title- Endurance- has a dual meaning- both the name of the ship built specially for the journey, but also a perfect summary of the two years of misery.
The newspaper ad seeking sailors for the voyage to the frozen south told the tale of who should make such a journey. “MEN WANTED for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success.”
Twenty-seven men accepted the challenge.
They chose adventure over comfort. They chose the possibility of greatness over the probability of mediocrity. The final crew was hand-picked by Shackelton from hundreds of applicants.
World War One nearly stopped Shackelton’s plan. Young politicians like Winston Churchill thought going to the southern tundra to be a hero was a bad idea. In 1914, British boys were going off to a war with Germany. Spending money on a frigid adventure did not seem prudent, and who knows, they were probably right.
The crew included sixty-nine dogs, plus one stowaway man so that the final number was twenty-eight. They travelled the ocean from England to Argentina to the remote South Georgia Island (definitely not Sea Island, Georgia USA) and finally, headed down through the unknown and dangerous Weddell Sea. The weather and ice conditions did not cooperate and sure enough, about 100 miles from Antarctica, the Endurance was surrounded by ice. She was the greatest ship in the world for such a journey, but she failed. Mother Nature was a vicious foe.
When Endurance got stuck, all bets were off. No more visions of walking across the continent. Shackelton’s only goal was survival. The ship sank. The men lived on the ice for more than a year. The goal changed from crossing Antarctica to just getting home. Three small boats got them miraculously to a no man’s land- Elephant Island. Then Shackelford and five others travelled 800 miles through the most dangerous seas in the world back to South Georgia’s island, where plans could be made to rescue the men from Elephant Island. Somehow, sure enough, every man made it out alive!
Listen to this sentence from the book’s Prelude: “When his ship the Endurance became trapped and was eventually crushed by the pack ice of the Weddell Sea in October 1915, Shackleton’s focus shifted from conquering a continent to getting his twenty-seven-man crew to safety.”
Wow! That sentence got my attention and seems to describe me at age 72. I am no Shackelton, having lived a life of ease and comfort. But like Shackelton, my focus has changed from conquering the world and fame and fortune to just helping a few people survive this planet earth.
Once upon a time, I too thought I would conquer the world.
I first jumped into the law with big ideas about all I could do to change the world. I would do it through lawsuits. My trial lawyer mentality convinced me that winning cases for powerless people (the ‘little man’) against big corporations would somehow benefit the world. I won lots of cases and helped a few people, but… so what?
So, I entered the world of politics to save the world. I dreamed about being a significant factor in politics. I would change the world through being on the right side of every issue. I combined the law and politics when I fought for and even sued my fellow Kentucky senators in the 1990’s for pro-life legislation. We probably saved a few babies along the way. The battle had a successful outcome but… so what?
I even went into full-time ministry on two occasions, thinking I would help Jesus save the whole world. I left my professions behind on two occasions to do ‘full-time’ ministry, thinking that my preaching and teaching would save the planet and all its inhabitants. The first attempt lasted 18 months (1987-1989) and the next time around was about seven (7) years (1996-2003), and for sure, I did some good, travelling to 67 countries with CBMC to teach and preach. It was a wonderful experience but… so what?
In hindsight, I am not sure about any of it. Was I truly trying to conquer the world or just searching for greatness and reputation? The desire to be famous was part of my problem. It was a curse that still haunts me.
Unlike me, Shackelton had one main attribute as a leader that carried the day. He never lost his optimism. He prepared for the dark days of winter when the ship was lost. The “Boss” was his nickname. Leadership- managing the different personalities in close quarters was his specialty. He knew how to keep the crew moving together despite their restless and pessimistic attitudes. He carefully monitored the morale of his men. Everyone was scrubbing the floors, including himself. He was building a team. There was no “them against us” situation, even though his crew was quite diverse with basic laborers mixed in with doctors and highly qualified scientists.
And most of all, he cared more about the men than the mission. In previous failed attempts in Antarctica, the crews succumbed to in-fighting and ultimately insanity. Frostbite was never the killer- it was lack of leadership.
So……… now, it is 2023. I have given up on saving the world through law or politics or preaching. Instead, I have decided that I just want to finish well- to endure to the end- and to perhaps influence a few men to do the same. The list of men to pray for is small but growing and, like Shackelton, I just want to get them all home safely. Most of them play golf. Some are blessed to not play golf! But they need purpose- they need meaning- they need wisdom- they often need a Savior. And they for sure need endurance. Salvation is way more than a one-time emotional or intellectual experience. It is the beginning of a journey- a dangerous one that leads to completion of the purpose and mission for your life. “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:3-4. ENDURANCE!!
“And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1a.