Strength

I couldn’t get this word out of my head. When I awoke in the middle of the night, it was foremost in my thoughts and kept going around and around in my head.  Why?  I trusted that’s what we’re supposed to focus on this week – strength.  Where do you get your strength?  I’m not speaking about physical strength in this case, but the strength that comes from inside – our spiritual strength in dealing with everything, both the large and small of life’s challenges, that takes our focus away from trusting God.  That is something I continue to struggle with – to be able to totally lay everything at Jesus’ feet – all my problems, my emergencies, my worries – all my prayers.  “Here Lord, I give it all up to you!”  Even after saying that and reading my prayers and scripture for the day, my stubbornness kicks in, believing only I can do something to solve the problem.  So, here’s my thought.  Over the years, I recall many times working with a physical trainer, determined to get in shape.  And I recall painfully, each time I start again, my body is not happy, resulting in stiff, sore muscles.  However, if I commit to listening to my personal trainer, the pain eases as I focus on staying in better shape.  Building physical muscle takes time.  It doesn’t happen overnight.  We just need to build strength a little at a time by making better choices, which eases the pain.  Those choices may include going to the gym, lifting weights, or maybe hiring that personal trainer to show you how to build your strength each day.   It seems many times I make the commitment to build my strength, but then get lazy and promise I’ll do it tomorrow.  Well, I guess we need to realize that Jesus is our spiritual personal trainer.  By making a commitment to Him is the only way to increase our spiritual muscles to fight the good fight.  We need to go to Him throughout our day, relying on Him to build our inner strength.  He will guide you and me to be stronger in any situation, big or small.  When I rely on Jesus to be my personal trainer, I can relax and trust that He is giving me the right exercises to make me a strong disciple.  What exercise program can you start today in order to build your strength to trust Jesus in all circumstances?  Just sharing these words with you is my strength. Thank you for your strength!

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”  Psalm 28:7