Growing Pains

 Growing pains

When Stacey was between 7 & 9 years old there was not much that could slow his roll. If you remember, Stacey was in competition gymnastics for several years.  He competed in New Orleans on a fractured wrist.  He competed at a state meet with a fever of 102. I have seen him come running into the house from jumping on the trampoline to vomit and go right back out to jump. Too visual?  Sorry. 

The one thing that would have him crawling out of bed in the middle of the night and stumbling to mommy crying, was growing pains. Those nights!  The thing about a growing pain is there’s not a quick fix. There’s no moving it a certain way to relieve the discomfort. There’s no obvious point of pain to address. No place to put a bandaid. No place for mommy to kiss it and make it better. All we could do was a dose of Motrin and rub longways down the muscles.  And wait.  Sometimes after 20 minutes of misery the pain would pass completely. Sometimes we rubbed for an hour just to get him calm. And wait.  

Waiting is not my super power especially if someone is in pain.  

Growing pains don’t stop because you are grown. Maybe they aren’t as physical, maybe you don’t cry to mommy about them and maybe Motrin won’t touch it, but they are part of life.  As Christians we call them valleys or storms or seasons; all postcard worthy unless you are in the middle of one. That’s when we call them trials or tribulations.  The gospel of John says “In this world you will have tribulations” Regardless how you label them we all have them and they have a place in our lives; they serve a purpose.  Their purpose is not to make us hurt or to make us lose sleep.

1. When: James 1:2-4 I like the way James says, “when (Not if) you fall into various trials” NKJV. The trials are coming. Just as declared in John 16:33 above. This is more than a prediction of a hurricane, more than a tornado warning. It’s not a probability made by an algorithm. This is a statement of fact. 
2. Fall: Is there a little difference in a trip hazard and stumbling block? There is a big difference in wading in the shoreline of the lake and falling from the pier. These are trials that impact your whole self not just your toes. Not just your mornings or your afternoons. Not just holidays or weekends. Not just your physical and not just your mental.  Not just the church life and not just the work life. These are face planters. The kind of fall that leaves a mark. The kind of out of control fall that you don’t forget. 
3. Testing: The thought of God allowing me to hurt to test my faith has always been a challenging concept.  God loves me so why would he do that?  It’s not that God has lost sight of my faith levels, like he’s confirming my cholesterol or my blood sugar.  He’s not dragging out the faithometer to see how I rank amongst Christians in my demographic. Why then? Sometimes we like to say that testing grows our faith but that is not what James says.  He says, testing the faith produces patience (also great to have). In Romans we read that faith is actually produced or grown by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, paraphrasing Roman 10:17. Again, why? If it’s not growing a bumper crop of faith and God doesn’t need to document it, what is it for?  

Stacey’s growing pains didn’t make him a better athlete. He didn’t flip higher or faster. He didn’t get more medals as a result of the night pains.  But because of his pain he turned to his mommy. And though I didn’t have a remedy I sat with him, I comforted him.  

That growing pain that is testing your faith is telling you to go to God. Read His word and hear what he has to say. Rely on his promises. That’s the way to grow your faith. Walking in high faith doesn’t make God a better God. It makes me a stronger Christian and a better witness. 

This I know

 The walk

When I was very young, less than 1yr old, we moved to Corpus Christi. Some of my very first memories are from our life there.  One of those memories was that every Sunday mom would dress my sister and I in coordinating dresses and walk with us down the street and across the overpass to Ebony Acres Baptist church.  One Sunday while we were in children’s church of some form, during the invitation I followed my sister to the front of the room to be saved.  I wasn’t saved that day. I was told that I was too young, and I was sent back to my chair alone. I crawled under the chair and hid.  They were right. I knew Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so but I didn’t know Jesus loves me he who died, heavens gates to open wide.  

A few years later we moved to Beckville and we attended the community church, New Prospect.  I wasn’t saved there either but I did my best fighting there. As a matter of fact it was there that I learned the second verse: he will wash away my sins let his little child come in.  But I also learned to resist and to fight and to stall and to run. At that time I told myself, they will send me to my seat again. That lie helped to minimize the conviction, but after a while I had to make up new lies to tell myself.  

Lies like: 

I’m as good as Becky Or David Or Elaine. 

I never get in real trouble at home. 

I’ll do it when I’m grown. 

I need to go to the bathroom now. 

Next week.  

I don’t know what they will say when I get up there. 

I’m not smart enough.

And my most spiritually advanced lie: 

I will have one more chance once Jesus comes back. That is what the Bible says, right?

I kicked hard.  Maybe you have done the same thing.  Maybe you still are.  

I was actually saved at age 15 when a volleyball coach invited several of us to go to revival at her church.  Like most teens, I was just going to be around my friends and because I thought the coach was cool.  

I don’t remember the evangelist’ name or what he preached. I just remember that I had run out of excuses. The invitation song seemed to be long and loud.  My friend, Tamara was sitting in front of me. She turned and said “I’m going, you want to go?”  I think I beat her to the front. 

What happened next? I immediately had a burden for those like me who fought. I had a desire to know more than I did. But mostly I had “that moment”.  

Have you ever cried so hard that you gasped and sucked to get air and as you did your shoulders dropped and your muscles relaxed and you felt your heart beat and you let the air expelled from your lungs. That’s the way I felt after I was saved. All that I was trying to hold was released and I could breathe.  

I want you to know that you can release and breathe.  You can know the whole song: Jesus loves me. He will stay close beside me every day. If I’ve loved him when I die he will take me home on high.  

Yes, Jesus loves you.