Facing Difficulties? Put On Your Penguin Suit … Hello Hump Day readers. You probably wouldn’t think of a Penguin in a devotion, but I do! The reason why—my Smithsonian this week had some really interesting stories about the men and women who have gone up into the cosmos. What they all went through was more than incredible right along-side their ‘no-fear’ going up in those capsules and those living in the ISS, etc. I give kudos to them all. But the one story that I’m using about a Penguin is a treasure so hang on, we’re going up into space…here we go!

The story is true, from December 1987 when a Soviet cosmonaut returned to earth after nearly 11 months-that’s 345 days in orbit above the earth! The doctors were surprised that he was in very good health. Most of the time those longer space journeys didn’t have a good health ending. In fact, 5 years earlier, after 211 days in space, two cosmonauts were sick for almost a month after they returned from orbit. Their health problems continued and they could longer go into space and had to retire which did not help their health for the rest of their lives. In fact, both men died early.

The question begs “what was the difference between those five years?” After the earlier cosmonauts returned to earth atrophied and sick living so long in zero gravity, the Russians invented the “Penguin Suit!” which is an ‘anti-microgravity suit designed to counteract the loss of bone and muscle mass astronauts experience in space by applying constant, low-level compression to the body, simulating gravity’. They shared this suit with us and others who were also working to go up into the cosmos. It truly changed space exploration!

OK—what does all of this mean for us? Well, don’t we all wish those long days of difficulty would end? God knows about it too, but God also knows that if we’re to become stronger, we must face resistance in our lives. I don’t know anyone who wants to have hard days and difficult challenges; but it does mean that the resistance we face has a very important purpose of making us stronger in body, soul, mind and heart.

I chose the Scripture from James 1:2-3 using The Voice translation because it nails it: “Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line—mature, complete, and wanting nothing.”

Like those weak muscles the astronauts encountered, we too will find that an easier life leads to weaker spiritual muscles. But if we’ll face our troubles head on—not trusting in ourselves but fully trusting in Christ’s power that lives in us, we’ll grow stronger spiritually and be ready for the next challenge that comes our way.

Here is a question I asked myself after I wrote this devotion and I want you to ask this to yourself as well: “If it is true that ease actually makes us weaker, what’s the healthiest attitude we can have toward those difficult challenges that occur in our lives?”

It took me a while to answer this question but I think I got it and I think you all will too! You see, on our own we cannot do it, but in prayer with God, now we have a Penguin Suit! Yep, with God we develop our spiritual muscles and our spiritual minds—helping us to think things through. By God giving us the resolve to face life’s challenges we can keep on going with the JOY of faith we have in the Lord. It’s a win-win my friends! AMEN.