Doing The Hard Things

On April 2nd, I started a draft for this blog titled, “Doing The Hard Things.” I had no idea what was coming mid May, and yet, as I’ve seen countless times throughout my and my family’s lives, God was preparing me ahead of time.

I honestly laugh in amazement half the time, as some of the things He’s done are so obvious, even if I try to chalk it up to “coincidence,” I cant.

Many times, we approach life from a “trying to get ahead” perspective. We strive to prepare, make things smoother or easier, and protect our stability and safety. In CrossFit, we specifically recognize and even embrace the inevitability that life will throw us unexpected challenges, and our best bet is to practice dealing with them head on, and the sooner the better.

The more challenging the tasks we take on, the faster we’ll grow and the quicker we’ll learn how to handle them with confidence, or at least a calmer composure than the unprepared.

As CrossFitters, we expose ourselves to varying movements, rep schemes, time domains (long, short, sprints, etc), loads, and all sorts of creative ways to challenge body and mind to swiftly adapt.

The same goes for our spiritual life. God doesn’t let us sit and be comfortable or float off easily into the nebulous, let no less coveted, “American Dream.” He doesn’t let us “make it” and become complacent. When we become comfortable, complacency can sneak in, quietly, gently, and before you know it, you’ve lost your edge, loosened your grip on staying close to Jesus, and it leaves holes in your armor, making you an easy target for the enemy to attack, often in ways that go unnoticed.

John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Whenever I feel I have become truly comfortable in my life, I see God change something, or make me become uncomfortable. Not in a negative way, but in the way a good father, or great leader, challenges those he wants to grow. He cares about me, and my family, so he doesn’t let us slide into a place where we don’t rely upon Him more every day to provide all we need to handle what lies before us.

A couple weeks ago, I was sitting in our backyard with my parents on a beautiful evening in Bulverde (Hill Country). The birds were singing as they were settling down for the evening. The chickens in our chicken coop were lazily scratching around. Our swimming pool’s fountain gurgled away as we relaxed. I was looking at the garden we had just planted, and the landscaping, peach trees, blackberries, flowers, mint, a plethora of bushes and more I had painstakingly dug the rocky holes for and thought to myself how thankful I was for what God’s provided for us. I sat back and genuinely relaxed, thinking how happy I was that we were able to live here and spend however many years enjoying it.

Diana was also just 12 weeks pregnant, perfectly healthy, with a baby we’ve prayed for and over every day. The last year for us has not been easy. We’ve lost four babies and wrestled with why, and what God was teaching us. Yesterday, I got to feel a kick and I had no words for the joy and thankfulness I felt after all we’ve gone through.

Diana and I have both grown so much through this last year, and the couple of years preceding with all that transpired with C19, and the seemingly nonstop upheaval in the world. Moving to Bulverde, literally feeling a new life, and having so many family and friends around us finally felt like we could take a deep breath and relax.

And yet, just around the corner I had no idea what God had in store.

This month is the last month I’ll be Head Coach at 925 and the last month I’ll have in San Antonio at my job. We were offered an opportunity to take on something completely new, with all its challenges and risks. When I asked Diana about it, I was expecting something along the lines of “No, we need to stay where we are, take care of the baby and stay in the stability of what we’ve built.”

Instead, she asked “What is the easy option?” - meaning, we had better not take that route. We needed to trust God and take a step of faith that He will provide all we need.

Our family will be moving to Corpus Christi to follow where God leads and I’ll be mentoring Jonathon Holliday as he takes over the gym as Head Coach. Jonathon, by the way, has the heart of a teacher, is a strong leader, and one who has sought God throughout his life - as long as I have known him - in putting his family first and following God’s lead.

Yes, after 10+ Years running 925, and living in San Antonio with a wonderful job as an engineer in various areas, we’re beginning a new adventure.

I’ll still be involved and hopefully coaching from time to time when we’re in town, but will be stepping into something new as my main focus.

19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4:19

We trust God’s plan for 925, for our family as we move, our friends and “family” we leave behind, and the impact our team at 925 has yet to have. We know it’s difficult to start something brand new, and transition is never easy, but we also know no growth worth gaining is obtained by taking the easy path.

We’re praying for each of you, as we do daily, and looking forward to the next season of 925, and of our lives. As we do this, I’ll challenge you, too, to “do the hard things.”