Hey Angelic souls, Angels believers, and angel researchers alike! I send to each of you, love and spiritual hugs! I pray that you are reading this in the best of health in every aspect.

Previously, I started writing about the virtues a little bit here and then sharing about them in the “Exploring Angels” group on Facebook like a mini workshop. Patience was the first one that I started inspiring others to apply to their paths. Therefore, many were working on patience. Before, I go into the next virtue of endurance, a lot of people think that they truly know the definition of endurance. Some understand it as meaning; to hang in there. But is there a limit to “hanging in there””in this world?

To endure or not endure… that is the question….

Visualize and put yourself into the shoes of the person in my example, if you will. Let’s say that you are staying with a friend as a roommate. The two of you want to split rent and bills evenly, so as to save money while going to school to expand your careers. You are living together and sharing space. However, your friend as a drug habit. Before you live together, you didn’t hear much about it. They didn’t really talk about it or even bring it to you in any regard. You were aware of it but because they had kept it so quiet, you were not aware of the extent of the issue. And not long after living together, they come up short in paying their portion of the rent. Month after month, you have to put up another $150 to make sure that the rent gets paid in full, because your friend doesn’t have the funds that they agreed to when they planned on going halves with you to live there. They always tell you that next month will be different. Not only this, but your friend is on some serious drugs. Not anything like marijuana, but the kind of drugs that make you sick if they don’t have them anymore. You see your friend very ill every other day. They cry, asking you what they should do because they can’t take it anymore. You continuously tell them to go get some help and get off the drugs. But they don’t. Eventually, you start noticing things missing from your bedroom. Things disappear when you aren’t home like money, jewelry, even loose change, and once in a while… articles of clothing. You confront them about it but, they just merely tell you that it’s not anything that they know anything about. However, in your heart… you know that it’s your friend who is taking these things from you.

Then one day you catch them! They break down and tell you that they’re sorry and it won’t happen again. They explain that they lost their job and were desperate. Let’s say for four years in a row you have gone through this trial with your friend/roommate. Week after week, you have given them advice as to what would help, until you were blue in the face. It makes for a very unpleasant situation, since you were under the impression and hopes that while staying with your friend that the two of you might be able to go out and have fun. You had even imagined that the two of you could entertain other mutual friends at the apartment together. However, it hasn’t been that way at all. In fact, you have to keep your family and friends away from the apartment so that they don’t see what’s really going on there. It’s not long before they can’t afford to pay their half of the rent anymore at all. You see that they’re in an awful situation, and your heart goes out to them. But you also see that there are many behaviors that they engage in, that really do create the situation for themselves. You know that with a little willpower, support, and the right kind of help, your friend could change. You don’t understand why they don’t care how they have made the situation harder on you, leaving you to pay for everything, and keeping you from even being able to use the space to invite your family or friends over to visit. You certainly can’t have anyone over if they’re constantly sick from drug withdrawal? You can’t have someone like that around the people that you love because they have stolen from you, and you’re not too sure whether they would steal from anyone that you had brought over to visit. Not to mention, you have a relationship. But your friend is a little promiscuous, in terms of trying to flirt and manipulate to get money for what they need or want. They have even put you in uncomfortable positions by bringing random people home. You don’t really trust them. But for all of that time, you have been more than fair. Why don’t they see what they’re doing?

Even with the situation growing even more dire, they refuse to get the help. Instead, they continue to live with you, while you are paying for everything. You even give them an ultimatum, telling them that if they don’t figure something out, you’re not sure how to cope with the situation anymore. You tell them that you are very hurt that you entered into this agreement and ended up being involved in a situation where all of the responsibilities were left upon you while they do whatever they please, because of their addiction problem. They promise that things will change eventually. You’re starting to feel regretful about your choice. A little more time passes by and they certainly don’t seem to be making any strides towards change. But they do make it sound promising when they reassure you that they will. Yea, yea, yea… they have been saying the same things for a long time. And therefore, you’re not certain you can believe in them anymore. The only thing is, you are a compassionate person, and you have a big heart. From what you understand at this point is , they don’t really have anybody left. They have burned so many bridges in their drug addiction, and their family won’t let them come home. If you were to end the situation, they would be homeless. Left to the wolves in the streets.

The fifth year anniversary of your moving in together is coming up. The lease is also coming to its end. You and your friend didn’t just sign up for one year lease in renting the place like most temporary leases. You signed a five-year contract so that you could ensure that the two of you were able to save up money, go halves on the apartment itself, while saving money to attend college as was agreed. With great faith in your heart, do you put your name down on that five year contract with great dreams that you would have a lot of money saved up, and that you both would be done your semesters. Both of you at the end, should had been walking away with great educations, and careers that had promise. But that’s not what happened at all. Instead, every little ounce of money that you had, went towards paying all of the bills and the rent both. Any money you had laying around, was stolen from you. You could’ve called the police but you grew up with your friend. you knew that they had some troubles but you did not know that they coped with their troubles with addiction as deeply as they did. You didn’t want to see your friend go to jail. You just figured that they were very sick mentally, emotionally and physically. but now the lease is done. You can be freed from this situation, to walk away and never have to see your friend again.

But let us say it for the sake of this situation and the path of endurance, your friend comes to you crying and begging you to renew the lease. You have a better paying job now, now that you have finished college. You are making better money after all. Your friend didn’t get anywhere at all…obviously. However, they are struck with fear because once the two of you part ways, life isn’t going to be easy on them at all. So now, the fear of being homeless and losing the only person that they’ve ever had or even have left in their lives, has brought them to their senses. Or so they say. They promise you that they will go straight into rehab if you can renew the lease and hold down the place for a short period of time until they get out. Afterwards, it’s promised to you that they will start working a job once they reach sobriety and that they will help to contribute. They apologize from the bottom of their heart for everything. They tell you their fears and the hardships that they will face without your help. They tell you that they just want to chance of being a better person.

Now most people would look back over the last five years. They would reason with themselves that if the person was really ever serious, they would’ve gotten help during that time. For a person who exercise great spiritual awareness, they would tell themselves that obviously this person is only looking out for themselves in the long run, because there were many times that they went pleading to that friend about how hard they were making their financial situation, in sticking with them with all of the responsibilities. They would also see that maybe this person was manipulating them because they knew that the person was about to move out for good. They would see it as a one last chance to protect themselves from their own demise. But a person with great spiritual awareness would also look at the individual with pity and mercy. Knowing the person’s background and heart, they would see that the drugs had made them into someone that they weren’t and if they were really truly serious about getting help, there’s a good chance that it could work out between the two of them. They would also be aware of the behavioral patterns, and the risks.

Looking at both sides of things, what would your choice be?

Well for most people, they would look at it as they had already been there for the person for the last half a decade. They would also figure that they had done their share of helping that individual, and since the person didn’t care much about them or the hardships that they had placed upon them, that they shouldn’t have to care about what happens to them after the lease is up. Truthfully, many people would walk away from the situation. They would not renew the lease, and wash their hands clean of the situation…walking away justified that they had done what they could but got taken advantage of. 

To you, is that a smart choice? Is it enduring to the end? Is there really a limit to endurance? Does a person have to always put themselves at risk at the expense of somebody else, to be considered virtuous or saintly? How would a person trying to exercise endurance, handle a situation like this.?

Think about that for a little while. I’m going to do a part two of this later. For now, I will post this blog in my group on Facebook. You can add your answer there if you like, in the comments. Be sure to check back in the next couple of days for more insight though. The answer may not be what you think.  Yes, endurance to some, means hanging in there. And yes most people have their limitations as to how long they will actually “hang in there” in a situation. If it starts to affect them to greatly, they may walk away from the situation figuring that they had endured as much as they could. There are many other scenarios that fall into this category though.

Another example is having a job that you don’t like. I have had a lot of people come to me that were unemployed. Finding out their life purpose, they realized that they had to go back to school for something in order to be a better version of themselves. So they would ask me to pray for them. Suddenly, they would get job offers for employment. when a person is adamant about walking their divine path, then heaven will always supply the tools. Heaven doesn’t work in the human way or on human time, and they are always testing a person who claims to want better change. Do they have it in them to fight for this better change? If so then they are truly deserving of it. Does the person have the awareness to know that not everything is going to go their way but to appreciate any way that it goes as long as it goes good? There are so many different tests in trying to strengthen a person in virtues that help them through life and their pathway. However, there were a few people that didn’t like the jobs that they had gotten. They were miserable with the environment, and with the people that they worked with. Obviously, heaven did not give them the job to like the environment or to make friends. It was solely for the benefit of making the money that they needed to get ahead. There were a few people that did not endure at all. They quit. If it wasn’t the way that they had imagined or felt comfortable, they gave up. And then they would wonder why they weren’t getting anywhere. sometimes in order to get to a persons greatest glory, they have to be bow down low. What that means is that every person who is beginning their pathway, is obviously starting from scratch. They’re not gonna have all of their dreams come true instantly. Everybody has to start somewhere. Showing that they appreciate the position that they were given and making the best out of it, shows faith, surrender, endurance, patience, and also gratitude. But, patience runs thin for some quickly. I have always said in the beginning of my career, I had to ride a bike up and back 9 miles to get to school, and work a job well taking care of my young daughter by myself. I didn’t have any help. It was probably the most hardest time of my life amongst other trials that came up. I didn’t find it pleasant, but I did what I had to because I knew, that it was a gift to be able to go to school and have a job at all. Even though my legs were burning with pain from riding my bike so far, they were many times that I went completely broke without even any food to eat, and I was totally alone… I still saw that all of this was happening for a reason. If I could just be patient and show endurance, great things would come out of it in the end. And they did! With some people, they don’t want to wait one year, they certainly don’t want to wait nine years like I did, and there are some who don’t even want to wait a few months.

I suppose it’s different for everybody. But there is a client of mine who truly got the real understanding of things when they had said in a comment that “the higher you grow in your spiritual path, the harder the tests and trials are”. And that’s true. Obviously, if you pass third grade to get into fourth grade, fourth grade isn’t going to keep giving you second and third grade testing. Do you have to take the appropriate testing for that grade. And it will change in every grade that you graduate to. It’s the same thing in life. People have to be so serious about their spiritual pathway and about life both in order to get anywhere. And that means endurance as well. Through any situation, and their own. Endurance would have meant working through any job no matter what it was or how horrible it was, for however long they needed to, having faith that their higher self wasn’t going to let them down later. If they were doing what they were supposed to be doing, then they would definitely see results when it was time.

Anyhow, go over the scenario with the drug addicted friend and the apartment. Think about what you would do carefully. There is really no right or wrong answer for you personally, but from a heavenly level, they may see things very differently. We’ll talk about this a little bit more in the next blog entry.

Until then, may God bless you in everything that you set out to do.