The good fight of faith
“Fight the good fight of faith…” 1 Timothy 6:12
I feel like I should share this for anyone who is facing a nagging, persistent trial.
A week ago, I woke up with a neck ache. I took my go-to three ibuprofen and a 3-shot espresso drink. (I usually don’t experience this kind of pain, but when I do, these things seem to help.) Everything was fine until a couple of hours later when wavy lines disrupted my vision–the aura, or precursor to a migraine. Three more ibuprofens, three more shots of espresso, and I waded through a day full of dull, icky misery.
Of course, with all that caffeine piled up in my system I didn’t fall asleep that night until 2:45 am, so the next day, March 11, was pretty much a lost day for me…the day before my birthday, when I usually take the time to reflect, pray, and hear from God for the next year. UGH!
My birthday, March 12, was the first day of daylight savings time. Did I ever NOT need to lose an hour of sleep! But I decided to look at the positive–extra daylight started on MY birthday this year 🙂 and I got up to go to church to teach my singles’ Sunday school class, then on to the main service, followed by a birthday lunch with friends in my honor, then on to an evening prayer meeting.
Well, wouldn’t you know it? As I was feeding the cats at the crack of dawn, WAVY LINES started disrupting my vision again. ON MY BIRTHDAY!!! My first instinct was to yell, “NO!!!” and pray (definitely with some anger!) against this massive interruption to my day. I pictured all the things I absolutely couldn’t cancel and remembered how AWFUL I had felt with the same symptoms just two days before. I grabbed the ibuprofen and was well into my triple espresso when I heard the Lord say softly and simply, “Sing. Just sing.”
So with wavy lines and images of inevitable pain, I sang. I made up songs to God about His healing power and love. I made up songs to Jesus about the horrible brutality He endured that one Friday for me. I sang as I dressed. I sang as I put on my make up. I sang as I fixed my hair and brushed my teeth (a spitty little song). I sang as I gathered my materials into the car for Sunday school. I sang as I pulled out of the garage. I sang all the way to church….and as I was sitting at the stop light on Boone’s Crossing bridge to take the last leg to church–still with wavy lines disrupting my vision–I heard the Lord say softly to my heart, “This is what the good fight of faith looks like.”
And it hit me. All too often we don’t think we’ve done squat as far as faith in God is concerned if we see no improvement. That’s where we are greatly mistaken. The fight isn’t the fight once things are DEALT WITH–THAT’S when the fight is OVER! The GOOD fight of faith occurs while the pain is still hammering away–AND as we keep forcing our eyes and attention Godward!
I’m glad to say, I was able to teach my class, go to church, enjoy my birthday lunch, and hit the prayer meeting….without pain and, thank God, with ever-diminishing eye waviness!
Don’t be discouraged by HOW LONG the fight is taking. Don’t let the testimonies of others who fought shorter fights make you think you’re doing it all wrong. Just fix your eyes on Him who bore shame, pain, brutality, and death for you…and leave the rest in His capable, loving hands. He is faithful, and He WILL bring it to pass.
“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
“…Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24