I messed up my thumb the other day.
No, it wasn’t anything dramatic—no hospital, no cast—just a jam that made every little thing more annoying than it needed to be. Buttoning a shirt. Grabbing a coffee cup. Twisting off a jar lid. You don’t realize how important a thumb is until it stops pulling its weight.
And I’ll be honest—it wasn’t some freak accident. I was working on a project, trying to knock something out, but my head wasn’t in it. My wife started talking, and instead of stopping to listen or pausing the job, I tried to do both. I ended up doing neither well—and paid the price for it.
That thumb became a lesson.
Because what happened to my hand happens to my faith more often than I’d like to admit.
I don’t walk away from God. I don’t abandon prayer or stop believing. But sometimes I drift. I get distracted. I try to handle everything—family, work, bills, politics, yardwork, life—while keeping faith somewhere in the background like it’s just one more thing on the list.
But faith doesn’t work like that. When I’m not focused on it—when I’m not intentional—I end up operating at half strength. I get irritable. I lose patience. My purpose gets foggy. Life starts to feel heavier.
Just like my other fingers trying to do the work of a busted thumb, the rest of my life tries to pick up the slack when I don’t center myself in God. And that strain shows up fast.
The thumb will heal. That’s no big deal. But the real reminder it left behind?
Pay attention. Be present. Especially in your walk with God.
As Scripture says:
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
— Ephesians 5:15–16 (NIV)
Faith isn’t just something to believe in. It’s what gives you the grip to hold everything else together.
No, it wasn’t anything dramatic—no hospital, no cast—just a jam that made every little thing more annoying than it needed to be. Buttoning a shirt. Grabbing a coffee cup. Twisting off a jar lid. You don’t realize how important a thumb is until it stops pulling its weight.
And I’ll be honest—it wasn’t some freak accident. I was working on a project, trying to knock something out, but my head wasn’t in it. My wife started talking, and instead of stopping to listen or pausing the job, I tried to do both. I ended up doing neither well—and paid the price for it.
That thumb became a lesson.
Because what happened to my hand happens to my faith more often than I’d like to admit.
I don’t walk away from God. I don’t abandon prayer or stop believing. But sometimes I drift. I get distracted. I try to handle everything—family, work, bills, politics, yardwork, life—while keeping faith somewhere in the background like it’s just one more thing on the list.
But faith doesn’t work like that. When I’m not focused on it—when I’m not intentional—I end up operating at half strength. I get irritable. I lose patience. My purpose gets foggy. Life starts to feel heavier.
Just like my other fingers trying to do the work of a busted thumb, the rest of my life tries to pick up the slack when I don’t center myself in God. And that strain shows up fast.
The thumb will heal. That’s no big deal. But the real reminder it left behind?
Pay attention. Be present. Especially in your walk with God.
As Scripture says:
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
— Ephesians 5:15–16 (NIV)
Faith isn’t just something to believe in. It’s what gives you the grip to hold everything else together.
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