This year, in addition to all of my normal spring yard work, I’ve also taken on the task of refinishing our deck. Needless to say, my body isn’t used to this kind of activity.
My dad worked hard as a print shop mechanic and small business owner all his life. Even though he had polio as a child that just about crippled one leg, he worked on his feet every day for decades – and can still work circles around men half his age. I, on the other hand, spend a lot of my time at a keyboard. That’s probably why my mom accused me once of having “poet hands.” If “poet hands” look anything like “preacher hands,” she’s probably right.
However, being a preacher is no excuse for letting my muscles get so out of shape that a few days of hard work just about puts me out of commission. Likewise, I would make the case that we should never get so lax in our spiritual lives that those “spiritual muscles” don’t get a regular workout, too.
The fact is, trials will come – and hard spiritual work with them. Therefore, stay connected to God and his church. That way, when trials do come, you’ll be ready.