But weight! There’s more.

I’m gonna be sore tomorrow, and I’m not even mad about it. In fact, I asked for it because this morning, I lifted weights.

This afternoon, I can already feel it.

In fact, by the time you read this, I may not be able to lift my arms above my head, and there’s a very real possibility that The B99 will be feeding me my meals.

I may do some whining, and I may even do some second guessing about how much weight I lifted or how many times I lifted it, but I can tell you one thing I won’t do.

I won’t wish I didn’t hurt.

Not because I love pain, but because I know that the pain I’m feeling is an indicator that the workout I experienced is doing what it’s supposed to.

In other words, the workout is working, and while I may not be the Hulk the next time you see me, my muscles are hurting because they have been torn a little so that they can strengthen a lot.

Well, probably a little, but I’ll still take it!

When Peter wrote his first letter, he wrote it to Christians who were displaced and suffering, and he wrote it to remind them that we will have victory over suffering.

It’s no wonder, then, that he wrote the following:

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV, emphasis mine)

He was telling them the same thing I’ll be telling myself tomorrow: it’s supposed to hurt! If I could lift weights today and not feel some pain tomorrow, I probably didn’t lift enough weights to produce growth. I would have spent all that time exercising and sweating for nothing. Going through the motions without getting the results.

Sound like any believers you may know? Aren’t we the worst at wanting to go through the religious exercises without feeling any discomfort and still hoping that our faith will grow? Peter’s words snap us back to reality, don’t they?

Stop being surprised at the pain that proves you’re growing.

I love the way Eugene Peterson paraphrased it in The Message:

Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner. (‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭13, emphasis‬ mine)

Sure, there are times when we’ve done nothing to cause us to expect pain, and in those times, pain is a gift alerting us to a possible problem. But when it comes to growing our faith, God has already told us to expect some pain.

Stop being surprised by the suffering, and keep reminding yourself that what made you sore is preparing you for more.

It’s true about our faith, and it’s what I’ll be telling myself tomorrow about my muscles.

Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash

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