For Another

It's funny what we are willing to become for others. So often over the course of the last few weeks, I have observed this phenomenon. Nearly every day, I have athletes start to shut down mentally and physically during the closing moments of a WOD. After pushing them and giving them a little encouragement, they almost always pick up the pace and finish strong. Earlier this week, I had one athlete that I could tell was fading, but she is an athlete with amazing potential so I decided to spend the last minute of the WOD spurring her on. When I finally called time, she immediately headed for the restroom. When she came back out, she informed me that not only did she throw up after the workout, but during! Had I known that she puked mid-WOD, I would have made her stop, but the point was clearly made: she was willing to become painfully uncomfortable because she wanted to make me proud. My encouraging words in those closing moments were not what made her so willing to suffer- it was the relationship we have built over the past few months which lead her to not want to disappoint.

Kyle shared a similar story with me a few weeks ago. He was telling me about his experience doing one of the open workouts this past year, 13.4 (toes to bar and thrusters). He recounted to me how the whole gym circled around him and yelled at him not to put the bar down and not to drop during his TTB. His desire to slow down or drop was only surpassed by his desire to honor the athletes he coaches by pouring his heart and his body into that workout to make them proud. It's amazing what we will put ourselves through for the sake of another.

I am convinced that we willingly become things for others because our nature is to reflect the things of God, being that we are "made in His image" (Gen 1:27). Nowhere else in all of history do we see this theme more clearly than in the life and work of Jesus. Scripture tells us that "God made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to become sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Christ, the only one who was ever perfect and pure, became sin (sin- separated from God, impure) on our behalf so that we may be reconciled with God. What drove Him to do this was a furious love for those He gave himself for. Isaiah 53 tells us that "surely He took up our pain, and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed!"

Our pain.

Our suffering.

Our transgressions.

Our iniquities.

His wounds healed us.

The call is to become for others what Christ became for us- a humble servant who gives himself. I'll leave you with one of my favorite hymns that embodies this

Blessings