For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James 1:3 (NLT)
Ever returned to the gym after a long absence? I have several times… the first few weeks of getting back into fitness are pretty hard. But then you hit that point where you don’t feel like exercise is going to kill you anymore, and you can feel your stamina and strength increasing. That's such a sweet spot. But we all have to go through those first few weeks to get there…
It's in those first few weeks where faith is tested. We can’t see change, it’s hard, but we know somewhere deep down that it's doing us good, so we keep on going.
It’s a simple comparison, but endurance for life is the same; it’s increased by testing, exercising, reaching beyond where is comfortable and stretching into the ‘God gap.' That's why it's called faith.
Heb 11:1 (AMP) says “faith is the assurance (the confirmation) of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].”
When things happen in life that we can’t explain, that come from left field, the temptation is to lose the plot, flip out, and quit… but faith in Jesus, the conviction of the reality of a God that we cannot see, has an opportunity to flex and grow, to exercise during these seasons. It builds up the muscles of our endurance and as time goes by, we find ourselves facing things we never thought we could with some level of peace and ease.
Don’t run from hardship, don’t hide when unexpected challenges arise… but stretch into them with your faith. James 1:2 says “when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” It doesn’t mean throw a party when hardship arrives. Joy is that deep assurance, the expression of faith, that no matter what we face, God has a future and a hope for us. It’s not the end, just a season, a moment to exercise and build strength into our spirits. And we can be thankful for that. Just as our bodies benefit from physical exercise, so our endurance grows and deepens when our faith is tested. Stretch into the ‘God gap’ today.
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