40 days after His resurrection Jesus was preparing to ascend to heaven. The disciples were with Him and He taught them: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13). How do we endure? Jesus Christ taught us that we should. But how?
In this endeavor, have you ever considered the camel? True, God has placed upon the earth some very interesting animals, but of all animals He ever created, the camel is perhaps the epithet for endurance. Since a camel’s agenda is to travel long distances, camels provide us with some insight into the subject of endurance. Notice some of the traits of this remarkable creature:
Facts About Camels:
· Baby camels are born without humps. They are however able to run within hours of birth.
· They can survive weeks to months without drinking.
· They can run up to 40 mph.
· There are 2 types: dromedary with one hump and Bactrian with two.
· They have long eyelashes, a third eyelid, small and hairy ears, can close their nostrils and have thick lips to allow them to eat from prickly plants.
· When full grown, they weigh between 800-2000 lbs.
· They can live around 117 years.
· They do well in temperature ranges from 20-120 degrees F.
· They can drink up to 30 gallons of water in 13 minutes. Their bodies rehydrate faster than any other mammal.
· They can lose up to 40% of body fat without issue.
· The humps (1 or 2) consist of stored fat (up to 80lbs) which they can metabolize when food and water is scarce.
· They can carry about 375-600lbs on their backs.
· A camel knows the voice of its driver.
· At the word of command, a camel will kneel to have its load put on or taken off. It knows well how much it can carry, and if too heavy a load is placed upon its back it will refuse to stand up and will strike with its head those around it uttering out lamentable cries” (Webster-Franklin Third Reader).
God designed them for endurance. But a camel will not carry a load he was not designed to carry. This is a lesson for us all! We were not designed to carry anxiety—worrying about tomorrow (1 Pete 5:7). Sometimes the biggest issue we tackle with enduring is that we are trying to carry a load we were never intended to carry, and we get bogged down! And often the things we fret about most haven’t even happened yet. Even a camel is smart enough not to attempt to carry a load he was not designed to carry. We are designed to endure, but we weren’t designed to shoulder everything—especially, anxiety about tomorrow (Matt. 6:33-34). We were designed to patiently endure—putting one foot in front of the other. How does a camel cross the desert? One step at a time. How do we cross our desert? One day at a time.
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