An easy thing in the eyes of the Lord

When I run at the gym I watch all the people lifting weights. Whenever I see a really muscular person, my first thought is not, "wow they are so strong" my first thought is, "wow they have been through a lot of weakness."

I have 2 gym memberships (ha, I like them both, I couldn't pick just one!) In other words I pay money each month to become weak. I pay money for discipline. I pay money for exhaustion. I pay money to break down my body. After running an hour I sprint at the very end, it's really hard. When I'm done running my shirt is drenched in sweat, my face is red, my hair is wet, my body is weak. I do this to myself almost every day. Not what I would call pleasant.

I was thinking about this in relation to spiritual weakness. Nothing makes me feel more weak than an impossible situation before me. Nothing makes me feel more weak than waiting on God to do something that feels impossible.

God says to endure these hard seasons as discipline, as training. "God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness... No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful." Hebrews 12:10-11. I wouldn't describe that last sprint or that last rep or that last push up as pleasant.... but painful. Yet again, I pay money for it.

So I was thinking, why do I resist God's discipline in times of spiritual weakness? Why do I resist entering into the pain, suffering and weakness of trusting him when it's so hard? Is God not using that to tone, define, mold and strengthen my spiritual self? Isn't this of more value than what I am doing every day at the gym? On top of that.. his discipline is free ha.

I was reading about an impossible situation today in 2 Kings 3. And here is what God said about it through his prophet Elisha, "This is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord..."2 Kings 3:18. I just fell in love with this verse and read it over and over.

What you see as impossible, God sees as easy. And that is so comforting to know and believe in the midst of those kind of trials.

But maybe the reason God waits to do this "easy thing" for you is to allow you to become weak, to break you down, which in turn builds you up and makes you stronger than before. Even though these moments are painful. "Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11

If we can see from God's perspective, we see that there is more going on. That God cares about how he is molding us. And that really it's for our good and that we may share in his holiness. Though it's not pleasant now, it produces peace later.

If we can see from God's perspective we can endure AND we can rest in the difficulty of our situation, because "it is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord."