Push Yourself

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT)

I don’t like working out. I’m more of a team sports kind of guy. I’m not into individual, solitary exercise activities. If you know me personally, you can see that my frame will tell that story. I’m not ripped. I’m not cut. I have what the current generation of teens calls a “dad bod.” It’s not chiseled, it’s more rounded.

Even though I make this statement, I still go to the gym for some cardio and weight exercise. Why? Because I need to take care of my cardiovascular system – my heart, lungs, arteries, and other blood-circulating pieces of my anatomy. I push myself to get my heart rate up and sustain it to ensure that I get a good workout that will pay long term benefits. I sweat. I breathe heavily. Sometimes my joints ache. But, I push through.

Our verse today tells us that we must push through our troubles in order for our faith to be built stronger. Much like a runner, or any athlete, continues to push through the sweat, the fatigue, the pain, the early mornings, to improve their abilities, we are to push through the resistance we encounter in life while maintaining our faith and hope that God will see us through it. Faith is built through trial, not laziness.

The beautiful thing is that we don’t go through these trials alone. As any elite athlete will tell you, they have a coach, or personal trainer, that is there with them when they train and when they compete. The coach keeps them motivated. The coach gives them tips on how to improve their technique. The coach helps push them beyond the sweat, fatigue, and pain.

Our Coach, Jesus Christ, does the same with us. Though we will be tested and tried, He is right there with us, pushing us on. No matter what troubles are headed your way, know that our Coach will be right by your side. And this coach has a perfect record. He always wins.

Today, and every day, lean into your Coach and listen to His directions. He will give you victory in the trials that await you. He build in you an everlasting, eternal faith.