I’ve never considered myself as being a strong person. I find it funny when people are afraid to arm-wrestle me. I guess my size intimidates them, but I’ve just never really cared about working out. One day, my roommate Janae decided to take me to the gym. She acted as my spotter, and was good at knowing how to push me to do my best. But when she realized there were certain things I didn’t yet have the strength to do, she wouldn’t push me beyond my limit. Despite the soreness that I felt for the next few days, it was a good experience.

Muscles could be compared to many different things in our life: relationships, bank accounts, grades, and of course, testimonies. If we don’t spend time working to improve them, they will begin to diminish. When emergencies happen, they can be strained if we haven’t prepared them for the stresses they are facing. Life is full of challenges that can overwhelm us if we are not ready for them. We build our muscles, both physical and spiritual, so that we will have them when we need them.

Sometimes people fail to realize that fact, and in a moment of despair and desperation they belief God to be unjust for not giving them the strength they need, when it was they who failed to take advantage of the opportunities that God had given them to grow and work their spiritual muscles. God could be considered as our spiritual Spotter. He knows our weaknesses even better than we do, and He provides occasions in which we can work those spiritual muscles which are the weakest, or which He knows we will need the most. Sometimes it seems as though the pain and soreness from the last workout has barely subsided when God puts more obstacles in our path to push us to grow. Why does He do that? So that when we are faced with the trials that mortality brings with it, we will have the strength to withstand them.

Pondering this topic reminds me of the grueling basketball practices I remember. Running seemingly endless sets of line…drill after drill…scrimmaging. It was so easy to complain and want to give up, but we had signed-up for it, and I’ve never liked the idea of quitting.

Each one of us signed-up for mortality. Along with it comes a lot of challenges that perhaps we couldn’t foresee at the time we ‘signed-up’ for it. But God did, and He will coach us through every step of it if we will let Him. Sometimes it can be hard to hear your coach’s voice above the crowds that are shouting and trying to tell you what to do, but listen for Him. You will hear His voice, and if you follow it, you will triumph in the end.