One of the most common questions I get about my recovery from recent back surgery is “Do you feel better now than before the surgery?”

The honest answer is…not yet. When I asked my surgeon about how quickly nerves regenerate (since that was what the surgery corrected), he said that nerves grow back/reactivate at a rate of one millimeter per day. Per day! 

My wife was quick to point out that since the nerve in question runs the length of my leg, I am definitely playing the long game.

I am indeed. And that’s okay. In fact, it got me thinking that as people of faith, we are all playing the long game. 

We live in a world that loves quick fixes, instant answers, and overnight results. From same-day delivery to breaking news alerts, everything around us shouts, “Faster, faster!” 

But the Christian faith has always been about something deeper. It’s about playing the long game.

The Bible is filled with stories of people who had to wait and trust. Abraham and Sarah waited years for God’s promise. The Israelites wandered for years in the wilderness before reaching the promised land. 

Even Jesus himself spoke of a kingdom that grows slowly, like yeast in dough or a mustard seed becoming a tree. 

Faith is not a sprint. It’s a marathon. It’s about patience, trust, and hope that stretches beyond the present moment.

That doesn’t mean faith is passive. Far from it! Just as I won’t improve if I just lie around, living the long game of faith means working today with the confidence that God’s purposes are unfolding even if we can’t see the full picture yet. 

It’s planting seeds of love, justice, and compassion, trusting that God will bring the harvest in due time.

The world we live in feels uncertain and weary and without an anchor. Our faith gives us that anchor. We know that God’s story is bigger than any cruelty, hardship, or chaos we may face. We know that resurrection always has the last word.

Playing the long game of faith is about living with positive courage now because we know where this story is headed: toward healing, renewal, and God’s realm among us.

So I’m okay playing the long game. Things will only improve post-surgery. So it is with our faith. 

As we start this new program year, let’s commit to keep building and serving and loving, even though it takes time to see the fruit sometimes. Because we don’t belong to the chaos and hatred that is so prevalent. We belong to a faith in God that is not wishful thinking. We belong to a faith that is rooted in confidence, trust, and assurance that God’s love is stronger than despair. 

We are called to “rejoice always” because the long game of faith always leads to new life. 

See you in church,

–Rev. Dominic