“…godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8 NIV)
Paul writes to remind us that godliness is an all-around win. It accomplishes heaven’s purpose here in earth and it further equips is for the life yet to come. Godliness is a worthy expenditure of our effort.
“This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the savior of all people and particularly all believers.” (1 Timothy 4:10 NLT)
Our struggle in this life is not to get ahead. It’s not about crafting a living or even making ourselves comfortable. It’s about us becoming more like Christ: growing in godliness.
We get tempted to look back at tough seasons and label them as ‘wasted’ or ”mistaken’. We forget that God appoints the times and the places that we live. (Acts 17:26) We lose sight of the fact that the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord. (Psalm 37:23) We make our own plans but the Lord’s purpose always, always prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)
A better label for tough seasons might be ‘training.’ I’m beginning to rebrand my most recent season as Olympic-level spiritual practice fields. I recognize Christ as my coach; running beside me, shouting instruction and motivation as needed. He’s a serious coach and He trains intensely, convinced that we aren’t vying for crowns that fade, but for life itself.
“All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. (1 Corinthians 9:25 NLT)
I’ve been reading Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck. She stresses the importance of adopting a growth mindset over a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset has made assumptions about ability, intelligence and effort. Those with the fixed mindset believe themselves to be limited and capped, that they cannot improve with time and training. A person with a growth mindset, however, believes no such notions about ability or effort. In fact, individuals with a growth mindset might wonder if talent, too, can be acquired with exposure and practice, if intelligence can be sharpened through experience and tutelage.
The more I read this book, the more I believe that we have been designed to grow. God is bent on recreating His character in us and that only happens through the steady application of His Word and cooperation with His Spirit. And truly, we don’t grow the most in the easy seasons. The comfortable years don’t demand deep roots or stalwart theology. It’s the lean seasons that pull us close to a provisional, relational and all-powerful God and reach out to possess His promises for ourselves.
With this mindset I can look back at my last season and re-label it. Wasteful becomes impactful. Pain has pushed me toward personal sanctification. Some results we won’t see until another season to two has passed. An athlete trains in private so he’s ready to compete in public. After a season like the one I’m finishing, I’m wondering, where will the Lord lead me next?
Lord, thank You for giving us the grace to re-label our ugly seasons. When we take the time in Your presence to reflect, we see something different. We recognize Your ordering to our steps. We do not determine the time or the places that we live, that’s always been in Your hands. We don’t write our training regiment, either. We would never push ourselves hard enough apart from Your personal coaching. You tell us where to run, how high to jump, just when to rest. Today we realize how that releases us to fully focus on godliness. We are starting to see how the hard things we are learning now are training ground for the life to come. We trust You with our lives, our plans, with our hopes and dreams and our desire for more. Help us maintain a growth mindset as we keep running with You. Amen.