No Pain no Gain

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." James 1:2,3 BSB

In a story titled, "Runner Who Fractured Hand Crossing the Finish Line at German Championships: “Worth It’”published Friday, the writer said, “ Sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to cross the finish line, even if it means a broken bone or two” before gong on to explain: That’s exactly what happened to German runner Sam Parsons this past weekend at the German Athletics Championships in Kassel. Parsons took a tumble and landed on his hand while attempting to lean at the men’s 5,000-meter finish line to fend off competitor Aaron Bienenfeld. An X-ray later revealed that Parsons broke his scaphoid, a tiny bone located below the base of the thumb that is crucial for both motion and stability of the wrist. A photo shared on social media shows Parsons’ outstretched arm as he attempted to cross the finish line before stumbling and landing awkwardly on the hand. As the old saying goes, no pain, no gain, because Parsons managed to take home third place in the event, besting Bienenfeld by .01 seconds and finishing the race in 13:37.99.

And you know, when it comes to “no pain, no gain,” or the realization that suffering is necessary to achieve something of value, we would all do well to “consider it pure joy" when we encounter trials of various kinds. Why? Because we know the testing of our faith that comes from these trials develops our perseverance—which is our persistence to continue doing something despite difficulties or delays. In other words, without trials you and I would never gain and grow the patience, steadiness, single-mindedness, steadfastness, and tenacity needed to continue following Jesus when times get tough. And let me tell you... it's not a matter of if the believer will face difficulties but when.

So determine within yourself today that you will do whatever it takes to get to the finish line my friend--knowing that, while tough times are awaiting all of us, we have a God who will walk with us through each trial and give us the strength to press on. Does that give you cause to be joyful or what? Of course it does!

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that our trials serve to grow our spiritual character and to show our faith. Lord, help us to trust You as we walk through trials of various kinds knowing that our trials, troubles, and tough times are developing our perseverance, something that can't be grown any other way. Thank You for promising to walk beside us. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!