What God has taught me through CrossFit part 4...ENCOURAGEMENT

CrossFit is tough.  I mean, I always used to think I knew what working out was, and then I met CrossFit.  As such, any inspirations you can muster up will benefit you greatly.  However, what also is incredible about CrossFit is the amazing ENCOURAGEMENT that exists in the community.  But when does ENCOURAGEMENT not encourage people?  God has taught me much about this during my time at CrossFit.

On Memorial Day, I went to workout knowing that I was getting myself into a tough workout. Every Memorial Day several boxes complete the workout “Murph.”  “Murph” is a ridiculous hard workout consisting of a one-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, and then a final one-mile run.  My goal was to complete the workout in about 50 minutes.  As I progressed through the workout, I was thirty minutes in when someone began shouting.  They were pacing around the gym shouting random things about the workout and challenging everyone to get going.  Keep in mind I said my goal was 50 minutes, and at this point I was just a little past half way through when a person who had finished the workout in less than 30 minutes began “encouraging.”  Let me tell you something – it was NOT encouraging.  It was discouraging – in so many ways.

What I learned that day and what I have continued to learn is that ENCOURAGEMENT is a powerful tool, when it’s really encouragement.  What I mean is this – everyone receives encouragement differently, and what one person might think is encouraging might actually be the opposite for the person receiving it.   During “Murph” I was in no way encouraged – in fact – I wanted to quit for several reasons.  However, during many a workout I have been encouraged by words as simple as, “David” and “Good job.” When someone is in the middle of pushing himself to the limit and he has enough heart to encourage me, just hearing my name encourages me to go further.  When my coaches say “good job,” it tells me to continue on working hard knowing that I am in process doing things right.

God has taught me that to truly encourage someone else, we need to encourage them in their language – to care about them – to think how they might be receiving our words.  I want to be an encouragement to those around me, and sometimes that means saying very little, other times it means offering physical presence, and other times it might simply mean being there and not saying a word.  God tells us in 1 Thessalonians that we are to encourage one another and build one another up.  This can only happen as we genuinely care about those we are trying to encourage and build up.  If we don’t speak their “language,” why would we expect to simply encourage them because we think we are?  Lord knows we all need encouragement, and I pray that I become a better encourager both in CrossFit and in life!