Colossians 3:23
“Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men…”
Part of me and my husband’s near daily routine is to do some kind of workout together. While my preference is to jog outside, our regular fitness schedule includes sweating it out to various workout videos. This past week, with colder than normal temps and rain coming down, I flipped on one of my favorite workouts. Jogging in place getting ready to start, the instructor’s initial words (which I have heard many times now) caught my attention in a new way. She made the simple comment, “You can’t wish for it, you have to work for it.” While her statement was geared towards toned abs and tank-top ready arms, I couldn’t help but think of how well this concept applies to all areas of life.
Many of us hold countless wishes or dreams deep inside. We wish to more fully live our purpose, to go back to school, get out of debt, move to a new location, change careers, or take on new roles and responsibilities. The problem is, many of us spend our days simply wishing things were different in our lives, but we fail to put in the work necessary to make our wishes become reality.
As I reflected on this idea, I couldn’t help but think of how faith ties into this. Hebrews chapter 11 is often referred to as the Hall of Faith as it recounts numerous Biblical characters who were remembered for, you guessed it, their faith. While I would encourage you to read it in its entirety (you won’t regret it!) consider the following in verses 29-33:
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised…
You see, here is the thing. Just like our Biblical ancestors, when we get to the end of our lives we will not be remembered for the wishes we had or the dreams we dreamt, we will be remembered for the faith we lived out. Faith that was put into action often times through work. Faith is not merely an abstract belief when we have a personal relationship with almighty God. Faith becomes a journey of following Him step by step wherever He leads and putting in hard work and effort along the way. Pay attention to the God-honoring wishes in your heart, His handprint is likely on them. But don’t stop there. Instead of simply wishing for your reality to change, ask God how you can get to work today to see your deepest desires come to life.
What is it in your life you need to stop wishing for and start working towards? How is God leading you to take a first step of faith and get to work today?
