Trials & Then There are Trials

Tri*al - the act of trying, testing, or putting to the proof

The approaching Swimming Olympic Trials got me thinking about......Trials. An athletic trial is a contest to match yourself against other athletes or against a time. You are trying to prove yourself against others in the most emotionally charged atmosphere imaginable (at least so I'm told - I never swam in Trials and I've never officiated yet). I can only imagine the actual Olympics take it to a new level.

These athletes take on the trial deliberately, figuring out ways to conquer the mountain. They work every day, twice a day on most, triples on some. They run, lift, swim, do yoga, Cross-fit, P90X and Insanity. All of this to prove themselves on a stage.


They know the trial is coming - dates, times, place are all advertised well in advance. Athletes can work backwards to lay out a plan. How will they be at their best when the time comes?


1 Peter 1:7-8 "In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire —may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."


Trials are a part of life. We're strengthened by most of them. We don't always like them. Sometimes we ask for them, working toward them with great expectations. Sometimes we don't ask for them and they kill us. A spiritual trial is a test of faith, in Whom do we really believe?


The goal when faced with a spiritual trial is not to try to get out of it. Instead, we are called to bring honor to the name of Jesus within the trial. I just thought of at least 10 trials in which I did not do exactly that! WHEW! Whenever I've taught about trials I've always focused on the trials but it occurs to me the most important thing is our preparation for the trials.


That's where we have some disadvantage with an athlete. Our trials aren't scheduled. We don't know when they'll come or where they'll come from. We don't even know what kind they will be. So how do you prepare? What are the spiritual equivalents of athletic training?


1 Corinthians 9:24-27 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."


We train every day through the practice of prayer, scripture reading, fellowship,  journaling, silence, serving, unplugging from the our electronic world, choose any of the numerous spiritual disciplines. They are training. These are the weights we lift, the laps we swim, the yoga we do to stretch and strengthen our core. Our goal is not to per-fect the training but to be ready for the competition of the "real world."


In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul is referring to the Olympic Games which offer a simple crown that will wilt and die. We have a far greater prize for which we train. This is why James can say:


"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." (James 1:2-3)


Training is what we do, for a prize that will outlast even the most decorated Olympian. How's your training? Your guage is how Jesus is honored by your life. Train well for our prize is eternal.