Faith Muscles

You know how when you haven't exercised in a while, your muscles atrophy? Or if you don't work them out at all, they are small?

That's how my faith muscles are. My life, up until now, has been pretty easy. On the one hand, that is great - who doesn't want an easy life? But now that I'm being taught the very painful lesson that I'm not in control, I find that my faith and trust muscles are very small and very weak. It's hard for me to not look into the future and be worried. It's hard to feel that God is good. It's hard to trust his timing. My muscles are weak.

Thankfully, they have been put on a strict workout routine that involves daily exercises of patience and trusting. So they are growing. He is helping me to be brave. And just to throw yet another sports reference out there, it's true what they say: no pain, no gain. It's hard to have my faith muscles being worked out this way, and I'm fearful. When I'm honest with myself, I would rather have an easy life where everything goes the way I want it to and have puny faith muscles.

But that's not my choice. So, I'm sticking with the workout plan and pushing through the pain. I'm hopeful that the next time I am forced to remember that I'm not in control, my faith muscles will spring into action and be super strong.

Watch out, 2011, because a better Esther is on the way!