Ordinary Time 
Pause
Slow down, breathe deep, and connect to your power source.
“In this room you see a big bulb and a big switch. But, if there is no connection with the main power house, then there can be no light. Faith and prayer is the connection with God, and when that is there, there is service.”
Mother Teresa
Take a moment, connecting with God, and know this: Faith carries you through. Faith calls you to action. Faith is enough.
Listen
All these things are for your benefit. As grace increases to benefit more and more people, it will cause gratitude to increase, which results in God’s glory.
2 Corinthians 4:15
Think
The greatest lessons to learn in life seem to be those that take the most work and ask for the most pain. A good coach knows that to make someone better, you have to push them to keep reaching for what’s next, whether that’s in sports, academics, or life in general. It feels preachy to say these moments of pain are “for your benefit,” but it can be true.
When Paul says “all these things are for your benefit,” he’s referring to the moments when life makes it hard to have faith (verses 8-12). Paul knows the best way for us to truly recognize grace in our lives is for our faith to be pushed, and, like a good coach, Paul knows that sometimes we’ll have to run, sweat, and maybe even bleed for it. Our faith keeps us going.
Chris Cherry
Pray
Lord, I often wish faith was easy, even though I know it’s not. Help me to continue to get back up when I’ve been knocked down. Help me to grow and to trust. Amen.
Go
Faith is both amazing and frustrating. Faith is what invites questions and what keeps us going. What step can you take today?
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr.
