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.