Building Muscle, January 15
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Karen Wonders
“Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:7 NLT).
A few years ago, I set a goal of running a half marathon. Although I had been active for most of my life, I never really saw myself as a “runner.” I didn’t think I had the endurance to be able to withstand the thirteen (point one!) miles of torture activity. However, I was looking for something new to try and was willing to give it a shot. So, I began to train. I started out pretty slowly, only being able to run for about ninety seconds at a time. Gradually, I worked my way up to two minutes. Then five minutes. Then one day, I ran my first ten-minute stretch and was so excited that I snapped a selfie right there at the track and shared it with all my friends on Facebook! Finally, after five months of training, I completed my first half marathon! It was so exciting to see that all my hard work had paid off. All the conditioning had built muscle that was able to withstand a tough challenge!
Isn’t that how our faith is? Unless you exercise your faith, it will never grow! Muscles aren’t built instantly. Training takes time. It would be foolish to expect a couch potato to run a marathon without ever stepping foot on a track. Godliness is the same way—it requires consistency! It must be put into action several times each week. We must continually claim God’s promises over our lives and trust Him for all things. Nothing is too big or too small for God. Putting your faith in Him for small matters will train you to trust Him with the big stuff.
How has He helped you in the past? Was it an unexpected gift card when your finances were tight? Maybe it was a perfectly timed word of encouragement from a sweet friend. Perhaps it was the energy to persevere when you felt like giving up.
If God is faithful to help you with the small matters, He surely can be trusted to deliver you with the big things, as well!
If you are struggling to trust Him in your diagnosis—if you are feeling like your faith muscle is just too weak—then let’s start to exercise that muscle! Begin with a faith journal. Every time you see God as faithful in your life, write it down! Even if it seems small and insignificant—don’t be afraid to write it down. Train your mind to look for blessings in your life. As you do this, you will renew your strength! You will learn to trust God. You will see Him as a good dad who lovingly cares for you. You will live out Isaiah 41:10: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Pray: Father God, sometimes it is so hard to have faith in the big stuff. Help me to trust You during the challenging times. Help me to always know that You have my back. You are a good Father, and You will be my ever-present help in times of trouble. Give me eyes to see how You work all things for the good, and give me a faith muscle that is big enough to trust You no matter what! I pray this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen!
Your Turn: All things work for the good of those who love God. If it’s not good, it’s not the end. Where do you need this truth today?
Karen Y. Wonders, PhD, FACSM, Cancer Caregiver
Karen is the Founder and CEO of Maple Tree Cancer Alliance, and Professor/Program Director of Exercise Physiology at Wright State University. Her passion is to advocate for exercise as part of the national standard of care for cancer. Her non-profit organization provides free exercise training to thousands of cancer survivors every month (www.mapletreecanceralliance.org). Dr. Wonders and her husband have 7 children—aged 16 and younger. If you think her hands are full, you should see her heart!
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