Morgan's first ever time front squatting: set the gym record
Today's post is a guest blog written by a dear sister of mine, Morgan. As her coach, I have had the privilege of watching her grow from a complete beginner in her elements class to one of our more gifted athletes. She has a knack for the sport unlike anyone I have ever seen, coupled with a deep desire to become better each day than she was the day before. Her natural giftings paired with her work ethic and passion for the sport will one day lead her to become a fantastic competitor at the regional, and maybe even games level. Her potential is only surpassed by her humility and love for Christ, as displayed in this beautifully written blog post.
Crossfit has become a part of my daily routine. If it is not one of the five days out of the week that I am in the gym, it is a rest day. On rest days, though my body is not competing my mind is moving. I think about past WODs, eating well, and studying successful competitors and their approach. I have recently become concerned regarding the consuming nature of my interest in the sport. In my concern, I have taken time to analyze what is it that I find so attractive about Crossfit. In seeking, I have felt a stirring about the deeper nature and reasoning for Crossfit’s appeal – it reflects what is truly consuming to me, my faith.
WOD: Workout Of the Day
Everyday presents a new challenge: a workout that has been strategically programmed by our coaches. As an athlete, in trusting your coach’s plan, you complete the WOD. There is no Plan A WOD or Plan B WOD. There is THE WOD that has been willed for you for that very day. You can place your confidence in the fact that the WOD is going to be challenging. It is likely that at some point in the workout your mind will begin to fail you and in a close second your body will begin to scream with fatigue, “You don’t have to finish this workout. Your coaches can’t expect this of you. Just take a break.” It is tempting to submit to these thoughts but this isn’t just about a WOD- this is life. My love for Crossift isn’t rooted in PRs or scores- it’s rooted in my faith which ultimately defines me. In moments of fatigue, similar to how I doubt my coaches in what they have prepared for the day, I doubt my God and His will for my life. We must look not at our present circumstances but look further at their purpose. In lifting our gaze, we see that we can trust the teacher’s pure intentions. The challenges that we face today are for our future good.
“Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
The more I fight through today’s WOD, the more mature and complete my mind and body will be for tomorrow’s WOD. Just as my coaches promise to challenge me, God promises that in life we will face hardships and challenges for our own refinement and the glory of His kingdom. His good is our good.
Pain is short but glory lasts forever.
Another way that I have seen Crossfit parallel my faith is through time. WODs rarely exceed thirty minutes. In the busyness of my day, thirty minutes is merely a passing moment (that is until I am swinging a kettle bell and puking between sets of double-unders). Despite the level of intensity within the time frame, the actual length of time it takes to complete a WOD is a mere fraction of my day. When one’s hope is invested in the salvation that Christ offers, we can look beyond the trials of today and find them to be short lived in comparison to our promised eternity.
“Forgetting what is behind you and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:13-14
In the middle of a workout, when I begin to question my ability to complete it, I can press on toward the goal with confidence that in a matter of minutes the pain and discomfort will be finished. In the trials of this life, we can in the same way place our hope in eternal life. We can fix our gaze on what is promised: that in comparison to the kingdom of heaven, the pain and struggle of our earthly circumstances is a mere breath that will soon be finished.
It makes sense that only one fit for the cross would have His fingerprints all over the game of Crossift.
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