Spiritual Rehab

I had a friend who was in a severe car accident about 10 years ago.  She was in a coma for weeks, and when she woke up there was still extensive damage.  She had to completely re-learn everything she had ever done.  She couldn’t even walk.  When it was time for her to walk again, though, she couldn’t just get up out the bed and start walking.  She couldn’t just decide she was ready to walk, and then run a 5k.  No, it took months and months of rehab and therapy.  She needed someone else to help her, support her, and keep her on track.  It was painful and hard.  Walking was harder for her than it is for any of us, because something had interrupted her ability to walk.  In addition to the injuries to her hips and legs, she had also been lying in a bed for weeks.  Her muscles had weakened through that process.  They needed consistent effort and lots of intentional care before they were strong enough to support her body again.

This happens often in our spiritual lives.

Lately our church has been doing something called Thrive.  It’s a family discipleship ministry that includes a personal daily Bible reading schedule.  As a result, I’ve become much more faithful in my quiet times.  We did a trial run in June and July, and I only missed about 10 days during those months.  Then we started a 20-week guide in August.  Throughout August, September, and October, I barely missed a day of reading.  Then in November, my 16-month-old son got sick.  I called the doctor and was able to get an early appointment, so I rushed to get ready.  I thought I might do my quiet time that evening, but I started to feel sick myself as the day went on.  I didn’t do my quiet time.  For the next two weeks, my whole family struggled in and out of sickness, and I left my Thrive journal just sitting there—never even opening it.  Our sickness was followed up by going out of town, which was followed by Thanksgiving.  Before I knew it, I hadn’t read my Bible in a month.

December rolled around, and I opened my Bible to do what used to be my standard quiet time.  It was awkward.  I didn’t get much from it.  I tried to close out my time by praying through my prayer list, but my words seemed empty.

It wasn’t that God wasn’t there, but that my spiritual muscles had grown weak.  I had lost my spiritual fervor.  Just like my friend had to go through therapy, I needed to exercise even more than usual if I wanted to get back to where I had been before.  I needed a little spiritual rehab.

If I want to grow, I’m going to have to exercise my spiritual muscles.  I have to do good works!  I can’t just float through the Christian life, going to church each week, and expect strong spiritual muscles.  I can’t rely on the three-and-a-half years I spent in Seminary a few years ago.  We’ve all heard the phrase, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”  When it comes to our spiritual walk with God, if you don’t use it {your spiritual muscles}, you will LOSE it {your walk with God}.  That’s not to say that you’ll lose your salvation, but you will not be walking in close relationship with Him.  It takes daily exercise to develop strong muscles and endurance, and it takes daily time in His Word and prayer if we want to develop deep faith that produces fruit in our lives.

Do you need a dose of spiritual rehab?  For me it took a day of having 4 hours of quiet time before I felt like I was back on track with my relationship with the Lord.  You might not need to do that.  You might only need a thirty minute time of meditating on His Word.  Or you could need a week-long vacation spent entirely by reading His Word, praying, and listening to Christian messages online.  Regardless of how much time it takes, it’s so worth the investment.  If you have fallen away from your daily time with the Lord, whether for a couple of days or several years, you can still put in the time to do your “rehab.”  Get some help if you need it.  Find a friend or pastor to support you in your journey as you re-learn how to exercise your spiritual muscles!  God is always waiting for you to re-join Him in His walk.

Are you ready?

Happy Sunday!   And Happy Birthday MOM!  Love you!