Trials & Potential

Sometimes we can't access God's strength until we've expired our own. Then He is our second wind. Click To Tweet

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Tests & Trials

When I take on a new running client I start them off with what I call an “assessment phase”. Basically, I test their level of running fitness through a series of time trials. How fast can they run a mile? That sort of thing.

Time Trials can be scary for some people. You don’t always know what to expect. You just know it’s going to be difficult and you’re supposed to run as fast as you possibly can. Many people have never actually done that before. Then, at the end of it you’re going to be judged and measured by your results and we all love being judged and measured….

Pass or Fail?

It’s not uncommon for news client to “fail” their first test. I use quote marks because they can’t really fail, they just think they have. For example, if I tell them to time their fastest mile and they aren’t able to run the entire mile, they feel they’ve failed. I try to explain that they’re being unnecessarily hard on themselves.

You see, it’s not about pass or fail. It’s about discovering where they’re at now so I know how to help them improve. If they couldn’t finish the mile before stopping to walk, that is where they’re at now, and that’s totally fine.

The time trial also helps us measure progress over time. I write down their mile time with a note that they walked a portion of it. Now we have something to measure their progress against when we retest 2 or 3 months later. By the next time trial, they can usually run the whole mile.

Spiritual Trials

I wish I could see life’s many tests and trials this way. Not as something to pass or fail at, but as something to help me assess my progress in becoming more like Christ.

“For I am confident of this very thing,
that He who began a good work in you
will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:6 NASB

God is continually trying to help us grow and mature. He doesn’t have to test us to know where we’re at. He knows exactly how to help us improve. By allowing us to go through tests and trials, He gives us the opportunity to grow and stretch our faith muscles. He allows us to see for ourselves what we need to work on. He’s also giving us the opportunity to see how we’ve improved!

So whatever struggles you and I have going on in life, I hope we remember it’s not about our passing or failing. It’s about God’s good work in us and remembering that when we’re weak, He is strong.

“Most people never run far enough on their first wind
to find out they’ve got a second.”
–William James

Because of Christ, we are capable of so much more than we realize. When we experience trials, sometimes we can’t tap into the fullness of His strength until we’ve already expired all of our own. Then we find the spirit of God is our second wind.

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