But you, beloved, [build] yourselves up in your most holy faith… Jude 1:20
You have your faith, and you are grateful for it. You take a good look at it and polish it up on Sundays.
But then you have what you call “real life.” Life in the real world of contracts, lawsuits, stock markets, diapers, little league, the problem with your mother-in-law, homework, athletics, who is going with whom to homecoming, loneliness, confusion, and fear.
If you don’t use your faith in that world, it will not be long before you question its relevance to life. The problem is not that you have lost your faith; it is simply that you have not used it.
Some of us spend time every day exercising certain muscles that we want to develop. You say, “I haven’t run for a week and I feel the difference.” If a week goes by without exercising faith, you will notice the difference. The longer you go without using faith, the greater the danger that you forget altogether how to use faith.
If you have ever broken a leg and been unable to use it for a time, you will know that you need to work hard to rebuild the muscle that has been weakened by prolonged inactivity. The physical therapist will work with you to rebuild what has been lost through lack of use.
Faith is like a muscle, and if it is not used, it will atrophy. And the only place you can use it is in what we like to call the real world.
Where can you put your faith to work this week?
