I think Jesus is so cool. I know I say that a lot. But, He
really DOES know us. He knows our wants, our desires, our likes, our dislikes,
our everythings. What I really like is the way He speaks to us. He speaks to
everyone differently, but He always speaks to me in ways that show just how
intentional He is. He knows my mind. He knows the things that set off those
“a-ha” moments in my head.
I overanalyze everything. Probably more than the average
human being does. I think about things… a lot… too much… always. Never
stopping. When I gave my life to Christ, I started thinking about things in a
whole different way. It’s like God is constantly carrying on a conversation
with me.
I don’t need to restate it again, but everyone who knows me
knows I love fitness. This is where that whole “God knows us so well” thing
comes into play. He always allows me to relate His truths to OTHER things that
I love in my life… One of those being Crossfit. I started going a couple months
back. I think it’s safe to say it has become one of my favorite parts of my
day! It has completely changed my outlook on fitness. It changed my view of what
“fitness” looked like to one of distortion to one of clarity (hmmm… doesn’t
that sound awfully familiar?)
So, on Wednesday the WOD (for all those who don’t speak
Crossfit lingo, that’s code for Workout of the Day) included Wall Hand-Stand
pushups. What does that look like you ask? Well, something like this:
This is my friend Sara
- one of the strongest woman I know… physically and mentally. She is
what I like to call my encouragement at 6 AM! She pushes me and speaks truth
into my mornings. More importantly, her
FAITH is undeniable. Where her foundation stands is apparent. I don’t even know
much about her personal life, but it’s not hard to tell when someone is living
for the Lord.
Before going into the WOD, Coach explained the movement. Now,
I’m a go-getter. I like to give things my all. I knew when the movement was
explained I could do this. HOWEVER, he explained, “form was most important”.
And it is. Before being able to even ATTEMPT the push-up in this position, the
foundation of the movement must be established. If this wasn’t established,
then we were to to do an alternate movement called a “Wall walk-up”.
SCREW THAT. Over my dead body was I going to do the wall
walk-ups. First of all, wall handstand push-ups looked WAY cooler, and second
of all “alternate” movement to me was code for “easy way out”. I KNEW I could do the wall handstand pushups.
For crying out loud, I did gymnastics when I was 7 years old. I could do a wall handstand
push up....
Two rounds into these beasts it hit me….. I could NOT do a
wall handstand push up. I could easily get INTO the position, but it required a
bounce and a kick, and then I was kind of awkwardly stuck in this frozen
movement upside down with jello arms. My foundation was not established. My
core wasn’t tight, and I was not moving. The pushup wasn’t happening. “Man, did
I look cool though??”
Simultaneously, I was really dealing with some things last
week. Dealing with my self-worth, my identity, and who I was in Christ – Taking
a good hard look at my past and letting the Lord strip me down of all the
“stuff “ in my life. To be honest, all really good things, but I was just
having a hard time working through it. I was getting super discouraged because
I felt like I was failing in a lot of ways. That is when I was reminded of the
Gospel, the VERY foundation of my Christian Faith. Jen Pinkner spent weeks
going over it with me, and I never really understood why she continued to ask
me week after week to repeat it to her.
One thing, in particular, she said:
“We must ALWAYS go back to the Gospel.” That was it! The
Gospel IS OUR foundation. You must lay this foundation before going any
further.
The GOSPEL. Romans 3
The GOSPEL. We are all sinners, and have broken the law
The GOSPEL. Because of our sin we are separated from God
The GOSPEL. But JESUS bore our sins, died for US, and satisfied the law by
dying on the Cross.
The GOSPEL. By placing our Faith in Jesus Christ, we are
saved from the judgement of God.
Without going back and reminding myself of the very
foundation of my Faith (The Gospel) I will continue to set myself up for
failure, trying to live by a law and standards of perfection. I must always have
my foundation down pat. Should I still strive to uphold God’s law? Absolutely!
But, without the constant understanding of the Gospel, I am “holding a
hand-stand on a wall with jello arms”. Without
having my foundation down in ANY exercise movement, I will never get stronger.
I may look awfully good doing it, but I will be making no progress. I think in
the same way, the GOSPEL must ALWAYS be our foundation. We can never get
stronger in Christ and in our Faith without always keeping our minds and hearts and thoughts on the
Gospel. My Prayer for you today is that you will likewise be reminded of where
your foundation lies, and speak the Truth of the Gospel! Peace and Love. :)
