A Little Beyond

I enjoy exercising by attending an aerobic dance  class.  The  instructor shouts words of encouragement from her place in the front. With an elastic band held in each of my hands stretched out in front of me, I hear her say, ‘Try to stretch the band as far as you can and then a little beyond. If you expect to get stronger, you need to meet and exceed the resistance!’

Later I realised that these words apply to my faith life as well. As I identify areas of challenge, I now see them differently. Perhaps God   is calling me to cultivate character traits like patience, acceptance and kindness. I’ve found that those traits are easy to reflect when I’m around loved ones and friends but much harder when I’m surrounded by people who seem different from me. I am challenged now to find those areas where I ‘resist’ treating others the way Christ would and then push past this resistance. When I went to the gym to work out my body, God helped me to work on my spirit as well.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to trust in you, and train us to reflect your glory in all that we do. Amen