Who Said It
Gary Thomas

Gary is a Bellingham, Washington-based writer and speaker. Like most dads, Gary watches his kids compete in various sports. He and Lisa and their kids go biking and walking together. And they love playing board games and card games.

Gary teaches courses on spiritual formation at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He runs marathons and occasionally golfs "to build humility."

What He Said
Benefit of the Doubt

I was throwing batting practice to my son one day, and Graham was hitting just about everything that crossed the plate. His confidence was soaring, and during one break he said, "Now that I know I can hit a fastball, the only thing I'm worried about facing is a right-handed pitcher who throws sidearmed. That really throws me off."

What do you think I did as soon as we began playing again? That's right—I threw sidearmed, as hard as I could, until Graham could start hitting it. He needed to face his fears in order to grow as a hitter—just as we need to face our worst fears in order to grow as children of God.

Here's the key point: I threw sidearmed because I love Graham and want to help him grow, not because I enjoy being mean or malicious. Graham knew what I was doing. He even smiled about it, totally giving me the benefit of the doubt.

Will you do the same for God—give Him the benefit of the doubt—if He chooses to take you past your worst fears?

Adapted from Authentic Faith (Zondervan, 2002) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Keep me, Lord, from resenting the tests You bring to bear. Help me accept the toughening process You've prescribed for me.

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