Struggle Proves Faith

Faith is easy thinking about it in a chair.

Faith is tested when you are living, facing a temptation, a trial, when an unexpected obstacle presents itself. Then what? Is your faith activated or is it the furthest thing from your mind?

Back in college I used to mountain bike. I took some chances. I was young, a little dumb, but I was also uninsured, so I wasn’t that dumb.

I graduated from college 17 years ago. Haven’t done much mountain biking since. But lately they’ve built new mountain bike trails about 4 miles from my house. They use these trails for serious mountain bike racing.

They are tough. I haven’t mountain biked in 17 years. I am out of shape and a chicken. There are many parts of this trail that freak me out. I turn into a little girl.

This photo is taken on these new trails by my house. This photo is not me.

My problem is that I have no faith in my skills, my conditioning, nor in the makers of the trail. I have seen enough of their tricks to know I should be worried.

My rear brake pads are about worn into nothing now.

Thinking about mountain biking is nice. Reading books about mountain biking is nice. Riding on the smooth roads to the trails is easy. What is not easy is mountain biking.

I fear this is the way many feel about their Christian faith. They speak of it as so easy, so breezy. This clues me in that they have no idea what faith really is.

Faith is a race to be run, a fight to be fought. It’s not easy. It’s hard, which is why faith requires faith! If faith is easy, it’s not faith.

I fear that many people’s “Christian faith” is merely head knowledge, fine thoughts and impressions, spewing platitudes with no bearing in reality.

I’ll know a person has faith when they struggle with it!