Losing my flavor

Today has been an "again" kind of day.

I struggled again.
I gave in to some doubt and fear again.
I lost my cool with my kids again.
I thought unkind things again.
I believed an untruth again.

Ugh.  The again cycle for a believer in Christ is depressing. 

It can make us cynical and useless to the kingdom if we give in to its lie.

Yes...we are gonna struggle with some issues again and again until we die but..... strides can still be made.

Goals can be reached.

Victories won.

I believe "again" kind of days are nothing more than opportunities to live out faithfulness.

The grind of sorting through our mindsets, attitudes, and circumstances is God's way of letting us grow up in our salvation. 

I wish so badly that faith could just appear...and then be rock solid.

But I know that is not the case.

Faith must be built....one second, one minute, one hour, one grind of a day at a time.

Then those days link into months, and those months begin to make years....

Before you know it....having faith doesn't seem so hard.

But getting that faith was dealing with all of those hard days....one at a time.

There is a little passage stuck in the pages of Matthew's gospel that talks about salt.  God refers to His children as the salt and light of the world.  (Matt. 5:13-16)  We are to flavor this world with the grace of God just like salt flavors our food. 

As Christ tells his listeners that they are salt he immediately poses a question.  Matthew 5: 13 records Jesus asking, "But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?"

Do you know any Christians who have lost their flavor?

Is it you?

I wonder if we don't decide in the midst of these "again" kind of days that the fight really is worth it; that we will begin to lose our flavor?

Today would be an easy day to get cynical....and lose compassion.
Today would be an easy day to become petty....and lose purpose.
Today would be an easy day to give in....and not overcome.
Today would be an easy day to be selfish...and not sacrifice.
Today would be an easy day to hurt....and not hope.

Faith is not the easy way...

Faith will flavor as we push through....

Again and again.....