The Gift I Received From God on My Journey Through 2024
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).
A few months ago, I reflected on my phrase for 2024: “Abide on the Journey.” What a journey God has brought me on this year! To be honest, it has been many journeys. Today, I want to reflect on one.
Creating a Vision
As 2023 came to a close, I was looking for a fitness class to attend once or twice a week. I wanted to build some friendships and learn how to lift heavier weights. I tried a few different gyms, but I kept feeling pulled back to CrossFit. I had said “no” to this particular gym for five years. It was too expensive, it was not close enough to home, the class times didn’t fit my schedule, I don’t know how to do CrossFit … My excuses went on and on, but after a free Saturday workout that was hard but so good, I said “yes.”
A few weeks later, in January, I created a vision board with a networking group. As I flipped through the magazines we were using, the phrases “Get Stronger,” “Cultivating Joy,” and “Well-being Simplified” caught my eye. I dismissed them initially, but I couldn’t let them go. I cut each of them out and put them on the board.
As I worked, I felt the Holy Spirit guide the process. Many of the images and phrases were goals I was working toward, but some were a bit more puzzling. In hindsight, I realize they were things God was asking me to receive from Him. In the center of my vision board, I put my phrase: “Abide on the Journey.”
A week or so after creating the vision board, I started going to CrossFit a few mornings each week before my kids woke up. Soon, I was in the gym almost every day. It drew me in. God was asking me to accept this new activity into my life. Through it, He has given me an outlet for stress, a place to be competitive, and a community. He has also blessed me with incredible growth in the sport.
A Daughter of God
I was an athlete in high school. To be honest, basketball took the place of God in my life. I attended Mass with my family, received my sacraments, and went through the motions, but I did not know what it meant to have a relationship with God. Basketball was something I loved and was good at. I pushed myself hard and enjoyed the feeling of improving, staying consistent, and working toward goals. I loved the physical and emotional challenges. When high school came to an end, so did competitive basketball. I was not good enough to play at the college I was attending. It was hard to say goodbye to the sport. I realized so much of my identity was tied to being a basketball player. I felt lost.
When I entered college, I found a Catholic ministry and met Jesus authentically for the first time. My life changed, and I realized the faith of my childhood was real. Jesus filled the hole basketball left in my heart—and so much more. I played intramurals, ran, hiked, biked, and remained active, but I no longer attached a sport to my identity. I recognized myself as a daughter of God.
Receiving a Gift
In the 15 years since college, I have remained active and played some rec sports—nothing serious and nothing too competitive. My relationship with our Lord has grown and flourished differently in different seasons, as is always the case. In January of this year, He asked me to accept the gift of a new competitive activity. He knows my heart; He created it. He knows the joy I feel when competing and excelling at a physical activity.
God asked me to trust Him and receive this gift from him, to let my talents show. I was (and still sometimes am) worried about becoming prideful, selfish, and vain because of CrossFit. I have worried it would take time from my family or even God if I let myself become too invested.
But, as I started attending class five or six times per week, I could not believe the enjoyment I felt as I worked on new skills or exceeded my own expectations. I went from doing push-ups on my knees to doing 200 standard push-ups within a 45-minute workout. God placed me in an environment where I could excel.
Let Your Light Shine
As I grew stronger, I began receiving compliments both in and out of the gym. I am still working on the best responses. I still shy away many times. I don’t know how to receive them; in a way, I want to stay unnoticed. I know that God is at work within me. I am grateful to Him, but I struggle with how to give Him glory and credit for my achievements. I constantly have to remind myself to let my light shine (Matthew 5:16), because it is His light shining within me.
I sometimes ponder why I go to CrossFit. For some, it is to stay healthy, to have a community, or for accountability. While these reasons are true for me, the more I think about it, the more I realize it is because it is fun! It is something that I enjoy for the sake of the activity itself, not something I am doing to achieve an outcome. That is where the true gift from God has come. He has been saying to me, “Not everything has to be productive.” But that is hard to hear in our world today.
Recognizing that I can enjoy CrossFit for the sake of CrossFit has allowed me to enjoy and accept the other gifts God has given me, too. Too often, our culture tells us everything has to have an end goal or a purpose of greater importance. That is simply not true. Allow yourself to have activities you enjoy purely for their own sake.
Receiving what God wants to give us is not always easy. He calls us to be receptive to the good and the bad, the hard and the easy. CrossFit has been an incredible gift to me. As I journeyed with Christ this year, I struggled to receive Him or to feel worthy at times, but as always, when we walk with Him, He gives us the graces we need. He pushes us on to more and to better.
Honestly, I am not sure where my CrossFit journey is headed. In some ways, that uncertainty is the best part.
What gift is God asking you to receive?
Erica Mathews is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional with Financial Counseling Associates, a small, family owned, independent, financial planning and investment management firm. She is passionate about helping families and individuals build their wealth so they can live the lives they are made for. As a wife, mom of four, and businesswomen, she understands the complexities of family life and helps relieve the burden of financial stress with organization, a plan, and automation so her clients hit their goals. She lives in Colorado with her husband and kids. They love everything outdoors including gardening, hiking, biking and simply exploring nature. If you would like to reach out to Erica, her email is erica@fca-inc.com.