Justinthefitcoach

What are your run plans this weekend?

Do you do a
dynamic warm-up before you run?
Why or why not? 

What’s your best running metaphor?

Sacrifice a lot. Gain EVERYTHING.

This was my take home message from church this morning...

We live in a world where we celebrate achievement. Big goals. More money. Success. Recognition. Pushing our limits and doing things people can see.

And I’m not saying any of those things are bad. I still believe we should challenge ourselves, dream big and find out what we’re capable of.

But this verse hits home for me:

“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” — Mark 8:36

For much of my adult life, I thought achieving more would eventually create the fulfillment I was looking for. Build the business. Make more money. Chase another audacious goal. Do something bigger.

But more often these worldly pursuits just led to needing more. More pressure. More stress. More ego. Unhealthy patterns, numbing the issues, poor choices and trying to fill something internally with something external.

The problem wasn’t having big goals.

The problem was the compass I was using to get there.

For much of my life, that compass was my own strength, my own wisdom, my ego and my belief that I could just work harder, push through, and figure everything out myself.

Now, faith in Jesus is my compass.

That doesn’t mean I stop working hard or chasing big goals. That part of me isn’t going anywhere. It means I’m learning to surrender my life to the Lord. Give up the need to control. When I feel pressure, I give it to God. When I’m anxious, I pray. When I have a big decision, I ask for His wisdom instead of assuming I already know the answer. When there is a tough life circumstance, instead of, Why me? Ask what is God teaching me? 

And I’m learning that some of life’s greatest victories will never receive applause. In fact, they are pretty ordinary. 

Making the right choice when nobody is watching. Loving your family without keeping score. Listening instead of needing to be right. Choosing integrity over impulse. Serving without recognition. Simply living an ordinary day faithfully.

That’s where I’m finding real fulfillment.

This isn’t me telling anyone what religion to follow or how to live. I’m simply sharing my experience and what’s been changing inside of me.

Following Jesus doesn’t make life easy. It doesn’t remove hardship, temptation, uncertainty or struggle.

However, I don’t have to walk through any of it alone.

I still have big goals. I still want to build, compete, serve, push myself and see what I’m capable of.

However, I don’t want to gain the world and lose myself along the way.

Now I will Sacrifice a lot. And gain so much more. 🙏🏼