Simple Thoughts

  I have never been one to make yearly goals or resolutions in January to conquer in a year.   I changed that in 2017 though.   I made some goals.   I made CrossFit goals and also made a goal in my Christian walk. For my CrossFit goals, I picked 10 (which turned into 11) things that seemed like fun things to shoot for.   A few goals seemed pretty close to attain, a lot seemed distant, and a couple seemed crazy, but I picked them and wrote them down nonetheless. It's the end of December a year later.   I conquered 2 out of 11. Some of those remaining 9, I have tried and failed. Some of the remaining 9, I know I'm not strong enough to do yet. Some of those remaining 9, I simply do not have the mental fortitude to attempt (cough cough, like my running mile time, cough cough). I am proud of those two though that I could cross off my list. I worked hard for them. Am I disappointed that I didn't even finish half of my goals? Sure, ...

I sat in the rocking chair, trying to rock her to sleep. My three year old was beyond grumpy and belligerent (as much as the family angel can be), and she was in desperate need of a nap. I was holding her in my lap, and as I rocked her, she decided she didn’t want me to touch her. She didn’t want my arms around her like I normally hold her, so I moved my arms, trying hard to balance her on my lap but still give her the freedom to refuse my embrace. I waited a minute and then tried to put my arms around her again. She pushed me away again. I was smiling just because I knew it was evident of how grumpy she was being. I knew she wanted me to hold her and I knew as soon as she got tired enough, I would be able to put my arms around her. Another minute passed and she didn’t care anymore. She let me hold her and wrap my arms around her.  As I kept rocking her, I realized we do that to God a lot. He’s holding us and loving us and then one moment, we decide we want to be independent a...

There is a great book called “Love and Respect” by Dr.Emerson Eggerichs. It talks about the need that people have for love and respect. The book specifically deals with men’s need for respect and women’s need for love.   It’s a great book if you want to check it out, but that’s not why I’m writing this. I want to discuss something he mentions though, called the “Crazy Cycle.” You see, I’m pretty sure all of humanity, especially in this country, are all stuck in a crazy cycle with each other. In the Crazy Cycle, someone reacts without love (or respect) and then the other person feels unloved (or disrespected) so they react without respect (or love) and then the cycle continues on and on and on.   Lack of love breeds disrespect which breeds lack of love and so on. The ONLY way to stop the Crazy Cycle is to actually have someone make the conscious decision to react in love or respect even when they feel like their needs of love or respect are not being met.   What a ...

This evening, the kids helped Adam work outside. They were moving rocks from a pile into a wheelbarrow and then spreading the rocks out in the driveway. Most of the time, Adam was doing the wheelbarrow.  Then Samuel wanted to do it. Adam let him and Samuel did pretty well. Adam had to help him push just a little going up the hill but for the most part, he could do it.  The whole time Samuel was pushing it though, Danielle was right at his heels yelling, "I want to push it, Daddy! Let me push it! I want to push it!" I knew there was no way she would be strong enough, but Adam told her she could do it further up the road.  She kept asking to do it like any three year old would and finally we got to the point in the road where Adam let her try.  She tried. And pushed. And tried some more. That wheelbarrow wouldn't move.  She didn't know how to lift up while pushing and I doubt she was strong enough even if she knew how. She was determined ...

I’ve been thinking a lot about celebrating victories. I may not be talking about the victories you’re thinking about though. No, not victories where the war is won, the movement is finally mastered, or the thing you’ve been worrying about is finally done. I mean the small victories.     It is the most incredible feeling in the world to finally have your kid potty-trained. (I hate potty-training!) However, the random day that your child actually keeps the underwear dry is worthy of celebration, even though you have a feeling tomorrow will be different. In the world of CrossFit, there is what feels like a million different skills to try to master.   It can become overwhelming unless you learn to celebrate even the small victories.   Maybe you’ve been trying to get toe-to-bars for a while but suddenly, your toe gets an half inch away from the bar… Celebrate! Maybe you’re trying to get pull ups and you finally get one pull-up, but the person next to you ...

There is an ache in the human heart that happens when there is injustice. There is a deep longing for that justice when we see someone vulnerable and no one will fight for that person. Won't someone stand up for them? Isn't there anyone who will fight for them?   I was talking to my husband recently about a similar situation and told him, "Every human heart longs to have someone who will fight for them and should have someone who will fight for them." I paused and contemplated that statement. Every human heart. The thing is, every person has felt vulnerable at one point in his or her life. Even the strongest, scariest man started out as a helpless boy and will eventually become fragile in his old age once again.   The beautiful promise for humanity is that the ultimate hero will fight for them. One day, when Jesus returns, He will make every wrong, right. Like the last fight scene in a superhero movie, just when it seems all is lost and ev...

I've been thinking about fifth grade Michelle a lot.   When I think about the peak of my insecure self, I think of fifth grade. I didn't feel pretty. I knew I wasn't popular. I wasn't athletic at all, so getting picked for kickball teams were always an adventure. I loved to sing, but I also knew there were others better than me. I wore glasses. I was lanky. I had plenty of zits. I didn't have a boyfriend. Quite honestly, I would have been okay being anyone but me. I remember wanting to be different, wishing I could change some of those things about me. Life was consumed with constantly comparing myself with others around me.   Fast forward... I survived junior high, thank God. I even survived high school, got a high school sweetheart, and married him before he could change his mind in college. Junior high, high school and even being in the music school in college had many moments of comparing myself and feeling insecure. Something amazin...

God often uses things in our every day lives to speak to us and teach us lessons. When I started CrossFit, He began using it to show me things. He's taught me things about humility and pride, endurance, finishing well, and more. This blog is about just one of those many things that I have learned from CrossFit about the Christian walk.   In my not-that-long CrossFit career, I have watched a few athletes come 110% right out of the gate on some marathon workouts and they burned out quickly because they did not pace themselves correctly. Because I have seen it with own eyes, I understand what a few well-intentioned individuals meant when they warned me before I had an important competitive workout. They warned "Be careful not to let your adrenaline kick in and go too hard in the beginning." My response was the same, "Don't worry. That's not my problem. My problem is I never go hard enough."   You see, I understand there is way more potential in...