Growing pains

My son, who absolutely loves tennis and plays it every day for at least two hours has been complaining about his knee hurting, so we started reading about Osgood-Schlatter  Disease, or what we commonly call “growing pains”.  The condition is most commonly seen in active children who are going through periods of growth spurts.  

Can you relate?  Don’t you feel sometimes during spiritual growth spurts that God is stretching your faith to the point of breaking?

“Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.  For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”   (James 1:2-3)  I used to read this verse and think… “Be happy when trouble comes?  Why? It makes no sense!”  Well, it doesn’t make sense if we only see the current circumstances, as very often we do, but if we try to see it according to what God says “live by believing and not seeing” (2 Corinthians 5:7), then we won’t stop at the beginning of the verse, but we will continue reading … “So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” (James 1:4) Doesn’t that sound good?  God loves us so much that He is not going to send us unprepared to fulfill our purpose; first we must graduate from “faith camp” and then we can be ready for whatever comes our way! (Notice that faith camp is an ongoing growing experience; we pass one level and soon we find ourselves in the next and this goes on for the rest of our lives.)

So how does God strengthens our faith?  I am sure you already know the answer: We go through difficulties, let God mold us, wait, believe, praise and wait some more until God’s perfect time comes and we see such exciting outcome that in a matter of seconds all that waiting seems to disappear.  We don’t like the going through part, but the final result is well worth it.  

As a young Christian and a very optimistic person I thought I would not have to go through that growing process; somehow I imagined that God would spoon feed me forever using His Word and other people’s examples, in my mind, I thought that would be enough, but of course God’s plan was different, and much better.  He knew I needed to go through difficulties to be able to grow closer to Him. “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you.  When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2)  Something happens when you feel you are at your lowest point and you think you can’t go on and God stretches His hand and lifts you up, you can’t perceive that from somebody else’s experience; it is too intimate, just between you and God… and faith grows.

Then God asks you to do what seems impossible; He doesn’t even supply all the needs at once, but one at the time... and faith grows.  Then He teaches you to look at little things, to enjoy each day and dream big… and faith grows.  “Anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed.” (Romans 10:11) 

We can’t stay still, God is active all the time and He expects us to continually grow “So Jesus grew both in height and in wisdom, and he was loved by God and by all who knew him.” (Luke 2:52)  God wants us to go deeper in our relationship with Him and that requires spending time with Him, studying His Word and listening to the Holy Spirit’s promptings “And now, just  as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him.  Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.” (Colossians 2:6-7)

It is all so beautiful and spiritual and… hard! Sometimes spiritual growth hurts.  It is a continuous fight between what we want and what God is planning and most of the time God doesn’t give us the blueprint of the plan, if He did how would our faith grow? Of course we know the plan is good and that encourages us “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)   To make things more interesting we also have to deal with our flesh “For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak” (Matthew 26:41) I am sure you have been there, knowing what you had to do, but fighting every single minute because many times doing the right thing is tough!

But please don’t get discouraged, through all the growing process God is with us “My gracious favor is all you need.  My power works best in your weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)  The more we know God the easier it is to let go; everything He is doing is good for us and all we have to do is surrender to Him; we give Him our fear, our pain, our doubt and He “who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.”  (Philippians 1:6)