Stepping out of my comfort zone and into God's action plan.
As an athlete, nothing feels more satisfying than sore and achy muscles after a tough workout—especially after leg day. You know that you’ve worked hard when you can’t sit down on the toilet without wincing or falling over in pain. (Sorry for the potentially disturbing visual.)
When I head back to South Africa, my soccer season will begin and I am sooooo excited to get back onto the field with my teammates. Funny story though, my season literally begins the weekend I arrive. With that being said, I needed to get my butt whipped into shape… like several months ago. But hey, better late than never, right?
These past few weeks have been full of tight glutes, smelly gym clothes, and awkward sports bra tan lines. My days have been filled with interval sprints, squat racks, and plyometrics – and let’s not forget about the actual soccer part. Cone drills and cruyff cuts have invaded and taken over my dreams at night, but honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The coolest part about my training regimen is that God shows up and joins me every time I step into the weight room or out on the field. I’ll be in the middle of doing interval sprints and then BAM, “Oh hey God, what are you doing here?” It amazes me that He can use strength and conditioning workouts to teach me valuable and spiritual life-lessons. I never knew that interval sprints could be so insightful (and painful, but mostly insightful). It’s one of the things that I absolutely love about God. He really does have His hand in everything, and He can use anything to teach us, shape us, and grow us outside of our comfort zones. Whether it’s a sport, a job, a chore, or a family member. He’s super creative that way.
So, while my legs were shaking and my pulse was racing, God was busy teaching and convicting. He taught me two things that I’d love to share with you guys:
So a word of advice… wherever you are in life, no matter how boring or how stressful this season may seem, make the most of it. Embrace it for all that it has to offer, and trust that God has you exactly where you are for a reason and a purpose. It may not make sense now, but I can promise you that when you look back days, months, or years later… everything will make sense. He has all of our days laid out before Him, so He can see things that we can’t see yet. I know it’s hard, because I struggle with it daily, but try to find comfort in that!
“So let us not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
– Galatians 6:9
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.”
– Romans 5:3-5
Thank-you once again for your wisdom and reminders about God’s plan for us. Often, it is difficult to understand His timing, but this is such an important lesson in trust and faith. Many blessings to you Sam! Lauren
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Thank you so much Lauren!!! It’s so true, it’s definitely not easy to trust in hard times!!!
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