Friday 3/22/13

CrossFit is a funny thing, even funnier when you workout with your spouse. We are in the midst of the CrossFit Open, which is basically the playoffs to determine who advances to the CrossFit Games in July. Hundreds of thousands of people participate in the open, the vast majority knowing they won't even make it to regionals, but they do it to push themselves and see how much progress they're making. A new workout is announced each Wednesday and each athlete has until Sunday to perform that workout and post their score.

The biggest difference between this and our every day WODs is each Open workout must be validated by a Level 1 CrossFit coach. This is where the real point of this blog beings. This morning, I was counting my husband, Justin, through this week's workout. He was doing so well! He flew through his wall balls, then on to probably his biggest strength - double unders. His goal was to have five minutes to do as many muscles as he could (this week it's a 12-minute workout overall). He reached his goal; he had exactly five minutes to do his muscle ups. It's hard to watch him workout because he pushes himself so hard and has a look of pain on his face, and I absolutely hate to see it. I know he's getting better and that he loves it, but I don't want him to hurt! Anywho, it wasn't his best muscle up day. He gave it all he had, but they weren't flowing like he wanted them to; and it was absolutely breaking my heart. I was staring at him, in my head chanting 'You can do this'; almost trying to silently will him the strength to get up and locked out on those rings (just to let you know, I can't do muscle ups, but I believe I have the ability to will him the ability to do them - that make sense?). It was so hard to watch him struggle.

Then it hit me; that's exactly how God is. When he sees us trying to do things on our own and struggle, it breaks his heart. He wants to help us so bad, but we have to let him. I'm sure Justin would have let me help him on muscle ups if I could, but unlike that situation, God can help us in anything we encounter. We just have to ask and then let him help. It's not enough to ask and then continue trying to do it our way. Ask him to help and then allow yourself to be led; God may have a better way to accomplish your goal. No matter what you're facing, you don't have to go through it alone. God has promised that he will never leave us nor forsake  us.

This blog is based on Psalm 139:13-16: 
"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of 
the womb.
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. 
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

You were created for a purpose, and God made you exactly the way you are on purpose! You truly were created to be fabulous!