A friend’s son took a hard football hit. He was stabilized in case movement would cause more damage and whisked away in an ambulance. Several tests later, he was up and moving, a little sore but nothing broken. It was good to see him fidgeting in church the next morning. I talked to him about getting back into practices. I wondered if he’d be hesitant.

It’s a bit scary to put yourself in the similar situation after you’ve been hurt.
It’s sort of like the discipline of faith.

We know God often grows us through those “what just happened” moments. We’re sore and weary, but we are a bit stronger because of it. The strength comes less from having been knocked down and more from how we respond to it. As we lean into God, focusing on him instead of our pain, he seems to soothe us in his wisdom and power. We get strength from him.

But we’re still tender. Even when we are spiritually stronger than before, we often feel physically and emotionally exhausted and vulnerable. We might flinch at times, anticipating what might happen next. We might hesitate, refuse to move, or take the long way around.

The discipline of faith prepares us, but we don’t feel prepared much of the time. Training is hard.

No matter what bruises you are feeling today, know God is aware of your pain, your hesitation, and your next steps. Lean into him. The short term training might not feel great, but God has a long perspective and the wisdom and patience to go along with it.