Conditioned to Carry

School has only been back in session for a few weeks, and with the new school year came the return of soccer practice for my son. Over those first few weeks, he mentioned to me more than once that his team had not even touched the ball yet. Practice after practice, the coach had them running drills, and my son could not understand why.

This past week, on the morning of soccer day, I was helping him get dressed and talking with him about the day ahead. I said to him, "It is soccer day!" He looked at me and said, “Yeah, but I do not think Coach is even going to let us touch the ball. We have just been doing drills."

He was stuck there. In his mind, soccer was about the ball, and until the ball was at his feet, it did not feel like he was really playing the game.

Before I could even think it through, the words came out of my mouth. I told him, "Your coach is conditioning you. If he gives you the ball before your body is ready to run the whole field, before you are strong enough to chase it, kick it, and keep going, you will fumble it. You will lose the ball and turn it over to the other team."

He nodded and went back to getting ready, yet I could not stop thinking about what I had just said.

My son was voicing something I have felt many times in my own life. How many times have I looked at a promise, a dream, or a desire and asked, "Lord, why is this taking so long? Why can I not just have it? This is what I am supposed to be doing, so why has it not happened yet?"

Right there, I sensed the Lord gently turning my own words back to me. Just like that coach, He was saying, "If I give it to you now, you will fumble it. You have not yet built the capacity to carry what is required to score. You are not quite there yet, and I am conditioning you."

The drills were never a delay. The drills were the preparation.

Pause with me for a moment.

What is the thing you have been waiting to hold? Perhaps it is a restored marriage, a business you have been praying over, a breakthrough with one of your children, or a new season you can see clearly but cannot yet step into. Perhaps you have found yourself asking the Lord why you are still running drills when you feel ready to play the game.

Sit with this question today. What if the waiting is not God withholding from you, but God preparing you?

Scripture Reflection

"Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes."
~ Isaiah 54:2 (NKJV)

Before God enlarges, He strengthens. A bigger tent on weak stakes will collapse at the first strong wind. The Lord's heart is to expand your territory, yet He loves you too much to give you more than your foundation can hold in this season. Strengthening the stakes is the conditioning. It is the unseen work that makes the enlargement last.

Here is what my son's soccer practice taught me about the seasons God walks us through.

Heart Truths

Waiting is not wasted when God is the one doing the conditioning.

The Lord is not keeping the ball from you to punish you. He is building your capacity so that you can carry it well when it comes.

In faith, conditioning looks like praying when you do not feel like praying and trusting when you cannot yet see the outcome.

In marriage, conditioning often looks like learning patience, practicing forgiveness, and choosing to communicate when it would be easier to shut down. Those quiet drills are preparing you for the deeper connection you have been praying for.

In motherhood, conditioning looks like the ordinary, repeated faithfulness of showing up for your children day after day. The consistency no one applauds is building a strong foundation in your home.

The question is not, "Lord, why have You not given it to me yet?" The better question is, "Lord, how are You conditioning me to hold it?"

God wants you to win. He wants you to score the goal just as much as you do. He simply wants to know that when He places it in your hands, you will be ready to run with it.

Loving Well in Action

So how do we cooperate with the conditioning instead of resisting it? Here are a few ways to begin today.

1. Shift your prayer. Replace "Why not yet, Lord?" with "Condition me, Lord." Make it a daily declaration: "Lord, prepare me, strengthen me, and get me ready to hold what You want to give me."

2. Ask for strategic insight. Set aside ten quiet minutes this week and ask the Lord to show you which area of your life needs conditioning. It may be your mind, your body, your habits, your relationships, or your time with Him. Write down whatever He brings to mind.

3. Choose one drill. Pick one small, consistent practice connected to what you are believing God for, and commit to it for the next seven days. If you are praying for peace, it might be ten minutes in the Word before you pick up your phone. If you are praying for a stronger marriage, it might be a daily check-in with your husband.

A LoveNote

This is your reminder that you are not behind. The drills you are running right now are not a sign that God has forgotten you. They are proof that He is preparing you for something He fully intends to place in your hands. Keep showing up, keep running, and keep trusting the One who is coaching you. He sees the whole field, and He knows exactly when you will be ready.

Your LoveNote Challenge

This week, write a love note to someone who is in a season of conditioning. It may be your husband, who is working hard toward something that has not arrived yet. It may be your child, who is learning that practice matters even when it does not feel exciting. It may be a friend who is tired of waiting. It may even be you.

If you need a place to start, try this: "I see how hard you are working, even when it feels like nothing is happening. I believe God is conditioning you for something beautiful, and I am so proud of you for not giving up."

If you have a little athlete at home, consider tucking your note into their practice bag before their next game.

Finish With Intention

The next time you find yourself wondering why you have not been handed the ball yet, I pray you remember my son's soccer practice. The coach was never keeping the game from him. He was getting him ready to play it well.

The same is true for you. The Lord is not keeping your promise from you. He is strengthening your stakes so that when He enlarges your tent, it will stand.

Shift your perspective, position yourself in prayer, and let your declaration this week be simple and sincere.

Condition me, Lord. Prepare me, Lord. Get me ready to hold everything You have for me.

Grab your copy of Love Him Well: The Daily Love Note Kit, made to help you love with intention every single day. Find it here: www.dailylovenotekit.com.