You're Stronger Than You Think


I never thought I would be someone who worked out with a personal trainer. For one, it's expensive and, two, I assumed my dignity would take a pretty severe hit. I grew up athletic and active, until I injured my knee playing basketball. From there my physical activity was minimal, as I was frustrated at how out of shape I got, and didn't want others to see, but also worried I would re-injure my knee. 

But three free sessions? Why not. I had nothing to lose.

Fast-forward five months... I've grown stronger and more confident, and I really enjoy working out again now. I've even paid for more training sessions. Because unlike my initial assumption, my trainer challenged me and pushed me in a way that was supportive and empowering. And through this fitness journey, God has taught me so much about how similar growing our spiritual muscles is to growing the muscles in our bodies.

One day as I was doing some sets on a weight machine, I noticed some more resistance as I began another set. My trainer had added more weight when I wasn't looking! "You're stronger than you think," he said to me. As I thought about it, if he had started me on the weight I ended on I would have told myself I couldn't do it. Even when my muscles start to fatigue and I struggle to get the bar back up, my trainer is there spotting and ready to put a hand underneath the weight - even if it's ever so slightly - to help me get it back up if I can't manage it all.

It's amazing how much of our struggle comes from the ways we have already convinced ourselves that we "can't do it" before we even start. How many things that God called me to would I have convinced myself I couldn't do if I really knew the weight of what I was signing up for? And He's there spotting for me the entire time, ready to catch the weight if necessary or relieve a little of it - just enough of the weight for me to get it up again.

I've also considered the weights I've started with and the weights I can handle now. Over the course of the last five months there's been a gradual increase. On certain machines I've increased my weights by as much as 45 pounds already. I couldn't increase that amount of weight overnight though, it took a commitment to showing up everyday. 

When we show up everyday to what God has for us, it's amazing to see where He takes us, and even look back and see how far we've come. If God had asked me to say one big yes to get where I am right now I would have been overwhelmed and I'm not sure I would have obeyed. It took a lot of small yeses to gradually grow and strengthen me to be able to handle the weight of the call I'm living into today, and it will require the same to handle what's to come.

A couple of months ago I found myself stuck at a certain weight in which I was working with. The next weight increase was daunting to me, so it was more comfortable to stick with where I was at. While I was maintaining I wasn't growing. One day I was getting annoyed and decided to just go for it and take the next weight jump. My first set was manageable but by set two it was a lot more difficult. But I stuck with it, and it became increasingly easier through the next week. 

If we want to grow our muscles and grow stronger we need to assess what's comfortable and push just past it. No one grows in their comfort zone. I hear people say all the time, "God won't give you more than you can handle," and I just don't think that's true. God gives us more than we can handle because He knows it will help us grow as we rely on Him.

Do you know how muscles grow? When you work-out the muscles actually rip and tear. Our bodies have to fuse and repair the muscles creating new muscle protein strands or microfibrils that create thicker layers, which we see the result of as our muscles grow bigger. 

It's inevitable that we're going to encounter times when it feels like life is tearing at us and our hearts are ripped out of our chests. But the Lord asks us to allow Him to repair and fuse what was torn back together. When He does this we have thicker muscles that grow and work in our defense against what will come at us next.

God looks at us and tells us, "You're stronger than you think." He knows we're working with a little more than we can handle, but He's spotting us the entire time - ready to catch the weight and help lift it if we get too weary or fatigued. He's gradually adding to our weight limit to grow us to the next step, and He's repairing us when life rips and tears at us. Do you see this in your life? How might He be growing your spiritual muscles in ways that take you just out of your comfort zone? The tearing is necessary and discomfort is essential if we want to experience growth. Just keep showing up, everyday, and God will too.

What I've Been Listening to at the Gym

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