I was talking with my brother on the phone last night. He applied for a career firefighter position and I called him to find out the latest on his standing. I’ve also been backpacking with bricks in the pack for weight as part of my exercise and I was looking for a standard…
At one point in the conversation, I asked “When you fight a fire, what does all of your gear weigh?”
“About 75 lbs” he replied.
My stomach dropped because I’m up to “only” 20 lbs and want to be up to 40 by Columbus Day weekend when I participate in a GORUCK event. Now after hearing this I’m thinking, “I have to keep going and do MORE.” You see, my brother is 5’6” and 150 lbs soaking wet, fit as a fiddle and it’s all fueling my jealousy.
“I gotta get to work!” I keep hearing my “self” say.
The next day I was reflecting on this conversation and I realized it’s not up to me to do his work or bear his burden. It’s up to me to do what God calls me to do. We’re called to do what God tells us to do, regardless of the numbers… to take on another’s calling is not God’s work, it’s the work of the enemy. I recognize that some “don’t” out of fear… but that’s still a part of God’s timing to get that someone to where He wants them to be. Because when people “push” or are “pushed” to get to a “certain level” the whole process tends to slow down to a snail’s pace… I speak from experience… but when we ignore others BS and focus on what God wants of us as individuals, we thrive and our pace tends to quicken because we get stronger.
So it often goes with health. We accept someone else’s definition what it means to be healthy rather than accepting God’s definition for ourselves. That’s why I only talk about standards and medical definitions of health in grossly negligent situations. What I am here to do (an adjustment) is get your body in tune with what God wants for you and your life and it (you) will do the rest of the work.
Holding ourselves to other’s standards can only lead to misery and failed attempts at success. You’ll never be that other person. We are each unique in our own right. Allow God’s unique plan for you and your life to unfold in it’s own time. I’m here to help you.
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