New Strength

Lawd, change is hard! Yet, when you start seeing evidence that the change is effective, somehow the will to continue arises. Over the last two months, I have been working on changing my lifestyle. I have intensified my fitness plan. I now work out three to four times a week with a friend (whom I call my backup trainer) who pushes me much harder than my regular trainer. I’ve significantly improved my eating, started juicing fruits and veggies, and I limit processed food and eating out to the weekends.

I’ve been strength training in the gym for two years, but honestly it’s only been in these last two months that I’m really feeling it. As much as I hate being pushed to my limits, it has been necessary. I otherwise never would have found out how strong I am (or that I can actually do push ups without dying). When I look in the mirror and see my little biceps taking form, I feel empowered because of my new commitment.

God quite often seems to place access to your next level of living just beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone. It seems so much easier to stay within the realm of what you are accustomed to, but then you miss out on the version of yourself you’ve always wanted to be. I’m a witness. Trying a little harder and pushing a little further has the potential to improve your quality of life exponentially. Certainly pushing beyond your comfort zone requires sacrifice, but anything worth having usually does.

My lifestyle change isn’t just about the gym. Quite frankly, I’m discovering it isn’t about the gym at all. My fitness goals are just a happy byproduct of something greater that is being produced in me. God is showing me that beneath the surface of what I think I am capable of exists a far deeper well of strength, gifting, and power than I ever imagined.