READ
REFLECT
When I first heard of CrossFit, I was intrigued because of the movements and training environment. I used the same functional movements with my athletes as a collegiate strength and conditioning coach. I knew squats, cleans, and presses were essential for athletes, but could everyone appreciate the benefits of these same movements? Would people really want to do these things?
I also loved the team environment CrossFit provided. This was the same environment I valued as a strength and conditioning coach. Could this really work? If so, I wanted to be part of it!
As members joined our affiliate I saw the beauty of this system. Every person who entered the gym was considered an athlete. It didn’t matter what their history was with exercise or training. They could have been beginners or marathon runners. Either way, we called them athletes, and the ones who hadn’t really been athletic previously began to think like athletes.
Then they trained, ate, and lived like athletes. Their patterns of behavior were the same as athletes. I watched as lives shifted for the better and people got stronger, healthier, and happier.
This is exactly what happens when our hearts are awakened to faith in Jesus Christ. We are called by a new name. This new identity causes us to think in a different way. Then our lives begin to change. This is the power of the Athlete Mindset.
When our mindset changes our eyes are opened to a new life. For the individual who sees the new life possible through Jesus Christ it truly changes everything.
RESPOND
Describe your experience with joining a gym for the first time or when you joined an athletic team? How did it change your mindset?
How does this experience remind you of what happens to someone when they commit to a relationship with Jesus Christ?
