1) They showed up- nothing stunts progress more than having a partner who only lifts with you once or twice a week. You may be all beat up from the weeks work and they come in fresher than a spring day, which can be frustrating. Your bodies are not going through the same thing, and it makes you borderline resent them on the days that you show up and they don't.
2) They push you and allow you to push them back- back at U of H, Steve and I would share a bar. One day in particular stands out in my mind. We were doing rack jerks, and I think we had about 90 kilos on the bar (my, how far we've both come since then). We were doing something like 5 sets of 3. Steve finished his fifth set, and it was my turn. I stepped up to the bar and jerked it 3 times, then added in a 4th as if to remind him who had the upper hand. Though he had finished his work requirements for the day, he was not to be outdone and immediately stepped to the bar and jerked it 5 times. This is the kind of stuff that happened every day- one of us adding an extra 5 pounds to outdo the other. This competitive environment fueled both of our successes as athletes.
3) They play off of your strengths and weaknesses- when I moved to Dallas, one of the things that I really appreciated in training with Kyle is that our areas of expertise were different. During a WOD, I usually knew where I would catch and lose him. If it was an olympic lift I felt like I could keep up and maybe even gain some ground, but for everything else he would whip my tail. This meant that if we were going against one another I knew I had to push harder in the areas where I wasn't as strong (burpees, rowing, thrusters... yuck). I remember one day the WOD was rowing and snatches. The first round, he got off the rower about 10 seconds before I did, but I finished the snatches a little before him. The second round was the same, but in the last three rounds his snatches were twice as fast because he knew that's where I was catching him. Though you may not like it during the midst of it, you need to be pushed in your weak areas if you ever desire to get better at them.
I was reminded of the importance of having a group of people to push you this weekend. The guys I lived with in college decided to get together for a weekend and just spend time hanging out. Though we are spread out all over Texas, each time we get together it's as if no time has passed. It's a smorgasbord of guys; we have a CPA, a contractor, a salesman, a fundraiser, three guys on YoungLife staff, a musician, and a coach. What I love is that each of these men is using their giftings to push back what is dark in the world for the sake of the gospel. In each of their contexts, the love of Christ is being manifest and proclaimed. Just being in their presence made me want to be more like Christ, because in each of them I see Him so clearly. It has not always been that easy though.
One night stands out in my mind that I will never forget. I came home to find all my brothers around the kitchen table. They asked me to have a seat, then in love proceeded to voice their concerns for me about a particular area of life that I had let sin creep in. I remember in the moment feeling really uncomfortable, but they were right. Looking back, it was a defining movement for me- a moment that I crossed a threshold of holding on to my own desires and giving them up to Christ. This is just one of the hundreds of instances where these men have sharpened me.
In a world where most men are lucky to have one or two solid brothers, I have 8. It continues to be one of God's greatest graces upon my life to learn from these men, be encouraged by them, and share life with them. So to Chase, Brett, Mark, Zak, Stephen, Bryant, Carson, and Luis, thank you for showing me on a daily basis what it means to lay down my life and take up my cross. Each of you has pushed me closer to Christ more than you will ever know this side of glory.
Blessings, and BR.
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