In our lives, we will go through different seasons. We have times of relative health and strength and times when we are experiencing trouble or recovering from faith-shaking events. These seasons of weakness are natural and not a sign that there is something wrong with us or that God is angry or disappointed with us. We should not beat ourselves up for our limitations, any more than we would blame ourselves for getting sick with a cold.
However, we need to recognize when we are in a season of weakness and adjust the way we are living out our faith for these seasons, however long they last. A person who is sick with a respiratory infection should not go out and run a 5K. Similarly, there are ways of engaging in spiritual practices that are more suited for growth and development during seasons of strength than they are for recovery during seasons of weakness. This is not to say that we abandon our practices altogether, but that we engage in different ways to participate in the healing and restoring work of the Spirit, Who helps us in our weakness.
We need good rest, lots of fluid, small amounts of healthy food, and some limited exercise when we are sick in order to participate in active healing and speed up our recovery, so we can engage in simple, healthy practices that allow space for God to renew and restore us.
Reading Plan
January 4-10
- Deuteronomy 6:3
- Deuteronomy 8:3
- Matthew 7:24-25
- Mark 1:15
- John 4:34
January 11-17
- Romans 8:26
- Luke 18:13
- Philippians 4:6
- I Thessalonians 5:17
- Hebrews 4:16
January 18-24
- Matthew 11:28
- Psalm 46:10
- Isaiah 30:15
- Mark 1:35
- Mark 6:31
January 25-31
- John 15:16
- John 1:37-39
- John 1:41-42
- John 1:43
- John 1:45-46
February 1-7
- John 20:21
- Genesis 12:1
- Exodus 3:9-10
- Luke 9:1-2
- Luke 10:1
