Many years ago, the Marine Corps had an advertising campaign with the tag line “Pain is weakness leaving the body.” It represents the Marine ethos. Pain is part of the process of becoming stronger, resilient, and effective. I was an Air Force guy, and as a branch of service we were always made fun of by our sister services as not being as physically fit. We were, in a jokingly way, referred to as the “Chair Force.” But in reality, every Airman is held to high standards of physical fitness. Expectations are tailored to the mission, but demanding, nonetheless. Our spiritual walk has the same demands. There is nowhere in scripture that says that spiritual laziness will lead to greater fellowship with God, and the road to that fellowship will be void of bumps and hazards. It is not a question of if we will experience pain, but rather when and how often. Paul epitomizes this. He went from “Jew of Jews” to essentially a “wanted man” who was eventually martyred for his faith. In Acts 28, it describes Paul’s incarceration in a Roman jail. Paul experienced emotional, physical, and spiritual pain. Were he to have become discouraged or disillusioned it would have been entirely understandable, yet he took advantage of the situation to preach. Verse 23 says that he preached from morning until night, explaining about the kingdom of God. And anytime there is discussion of the Gospel, there are some that believed and some that did not, with disagreements in between. But this did not persuade Paul to give up. The chapter ends with “He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” Paul looked beyond the pain and the purpose behind it until his very end. Roadblocks are not challenges but opportunities. We must be fit and prepared always, ready to proclaim Christ.
