Endurance—Alan Heckman, MSPAS, PA-C
Alan Heckman, MSPAS, PA-C, Associate Professor
Several months ago, I suffered a personal tragedy that affected me very deeply. We all experience tragedy in our lives from time-to-time, and while we do our best to move forward, we sometimes struggle along the path. As a healthcare professional in the critical care environment, I observe tragedy in the lives of my patients and their families quite frequently. Over time, I’ve become immune to the stress and emotion associated with my patients’ hardship as it has become such a common occurrence in my clinical practice.
However, when tragedy strikes you in such a deeply personal way, your perspective on the people and environment around you begins to change.
During this time of personal struggle, I looked to God for answers. Each day I would pray for strength and understanding. I wanted to gain a better sense of empathy for those around me and appreciate the gifts I’ve received in my life with renewed gratitude and grace.
As the months rolled along, I continued to pray for strength, but I found myself frustrated with the ongoing events in the world and in my personal life. Finding the strength to move forward became more and more difficult.
Several weeks later, I met with an acquaintance about a business matter, and we began to talk about the events around the world and in our personal lives. I told this person that I pray for strength each day, but felt that God was not answering my prayers. This person then reminded me that God does not give us more than we can handle. We have the strength within us to handle whatever God puts before us. And with that, she said to me: “Pray for endurance…because God has already given you the strength you need.” From that moment on, I thanked God for the strength within me and prayed for endurance to see me through the storm.
So, as we continue to deal with the struggles of life, please remember that God has given us tremendous strength and resilience. I encourage all of us to pray for endurance, that we may get through the difficult times in our lives with strength, gratitude, and grace.
“I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!” (John 14:27).
Alan Heckman is an associate professor in the physician assistant program.