You Aren’t Born with it … and That’s Okay!

No one is born knowing how to study the bible and pray – we all have to learn it somehow. But we often act like there’s something wrong with us when we struggle with spiritual disciplines or things take longer than we think they should. 

Let’s explore that a little more!

In the last episode I talked about 3 things you need when it comes to making progress on our goals:

1. Knowledge/information
2. Tools
3. Support

Today I want to take a look at the first thing: knowledge.

I used to feel frustrated because I struggled so much when it came to things like bible study and prayer. I felt stupid because I believed that everyone else on the planet was doing better at those things than I was. I was so wrong!!! We all have to start somewhere – and that’s knowing nothing. 

Feel better?

Let’s take a look at three lies that we often believe when it comes to spiritual disciplines:

This shouldn’t be so hard

In today’s society, we often create “hard” with work or effort. So when we say that something shouldn’t be so hard what we really mean is that it shouldn’t take as much time, work, and effort. 

When you are learning something new it’s going to take time and effort. You will make progress one baby step at a time. If you constantly expect to get things right on the first try you will always be disappointed and frustrated.

There must be something wrong with me

How do you know that you are the only person on the planet that struggles? If something is difficult or takes longer than you think it should that’s not because there’s something wrong with you. It just means you’re human and you’re doing something that you haven’t mastered yet. 

I just need to try harder

I doubt this! Most of us are putting forth great effort and work into our faith. And that can be a problem when we start to think that our work is what brings rewards. God doesn’t ask us to read our bible and pray so that we can get gold stars for working the hardest. He also doesn’t ask us to do something impossible. 

Don’t fall into the trap of perfectionism here. Give yourself time and patience as you learn and grow. Take a break if and when you need to. 

It’s okay to struggle or go slow when it comes to growing your faith. Take your time and focus on making progress. 

Other Episodes Mentioned:

Episode 12:  Stop trying to get it right on the first try: The importance of micro-wins to your faith journey

Resources for you:

Grace Goals: a Biblical Goal-Setting System

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