the fit+faith: My Incredible, Unbelievable, Phenomenal, Magnificent Split-Second Transformation

Ahhhh, transformation. That’s a word that’s thrown around very loosely these days. I see it used to caption pictures on social media and to market and sell fitness-industry products on a daily basis. It’s used so frequently now that the word no longer makes an impactful statement. Transformation is a noun, defined as the “act or process of transforming” (dictionary.com).

trans-form: [v. trans-fawrm]

1. to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose

2. to change in condition, nature, or character; convert

It’s one thing to change your form or appearance. It’s another to change your condition or nature. When you change the latter, the former will follow. It really is that simple. Your mind/heart must change before your body does...and if you want lasting change, your mind/heart has to make a permanent transformation, too. Unfortunately, with incredible "transformations" we see each day, we have lost sight of that part. Transformation has become all about changing our form with little consideration to our nature.

People boast of their incredible 12-week transformation and companies push their amazing 90-day challenges with such enthusiasm that you can’t help but get caught up. Photos float around the interwebz showing miraculous changes, pounds lost, and inches removed to reveal a more vibrant, seemingly more happy person. You see how easy it was for Jane to lose the weight and how quickly Susie toned her whole body, and before you know it, you’re hooked. You buy the product or the program or contact the trainer, and you’re a whole new person in less time than it takes for a woman to conceive and deliver a baby. Right? Well….not so much.

Let’s be real. If these products really worked, wouldn’t we all be walking around as a size 4 with 36-26-36 measurements? The truth is, it’s not the product that works but the consistency and commitment with which we dedicate ourselves to the process. And when that 12 weeks is up, well, you might find yourself back at square one, and sometimes even with a few extra inches and pounds you didn’t even have before.

So what’s the problem, then? The problem is we never addressed the REAL problem in the first place. The “transformation” only masked or changed the symptoms of the real problem. Anyone who has ever undergone a TRUE, LASTING TRANSFORMATION (of any kind – spiritual, emotional, or physical) will tell you change always begins on the inside. Do those products work? Some, maybe. If they work for you, that’s great. If you swear by product X or Coach Z, great. But what about all the people that didn’t find success? They got suckered into purchasing pre-packaged, pre-portioned self-control, knowledge, and accountability. That meal replacement you see in your newsfeed provides pre-portioned self-control. That DVD from the infomercial provides you the knowledge, and that nifty little 90 day calendar that came with it? Accountability. You gotta mark those days off as you do them, right? But these finite programs end, and when they do, we lose our accountability, our self-control, and our knowledge (if we haven’t already lost our interest), and we find ourselves, again, searching for the answer to our problems, never realizing we didn’t address the biggest one: our mindset. We never learned about exercising simply for the health benefits and not for slender thighs, or eating to fuel our bodies instead of NOT eating to make them smaller. We never set seemingly-impossible athletic goals and felt the empowerment of achieving them. We never learned the truth about nutrition and instead continue to rely on the marketing that supplement companies are selling. You never realized that the weight you carry on your body is often an indicator of the weight weight you carry in your heart. And so…the vicious cycle continues.

As a Christian, my true transformation began when I accepted Christ as my savior - when I became a new woman in Christ. That’s where I got my clever little title – in a split second, my life was forever changed, not by anything more than making a decision to accept Jesus as my savior and surrender my life. (For those of you who are interested, I've included my transformation in pictures below, too, although my physical transformation is far less impressive than my spiritual/emotional one.) But what if you’ve already accepted Jesus as your savior and you’re still struggling with a physical transformation? Well…it won’t be easy. Anything worth having is going to require work on your part, and it’s going to require you to be patient, consistent, and committed. If it's going to challenge you, it will change you. If you’ll keep reading, I’ll share with you the scriptures I lean on to continue my transformation - physically and spiritually.

One of my favorite scriptures (and I’m pretty sure a staple for any Christian athlete) is Philippians 4:13 NLT – “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Notice that it doesn’t say that Christ is GOING TO DO IT FOR ME. It also doesn't say that Christ is going to make it easy. I’m going to have to put some effort in and work for what I want. God can do the impossible, but we have to show up and put up if we expect Him to. I have also relied heavily on 2 Timothy 1:7. In the Amplified, it reads: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning and fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and WELL-BALANCED MIND and DISCIPLINE and SELF-CONTROL.” (Emphasis mine). God has placed these things in my spirit AND yours, and we have them within us already. It’s a matter of exercising these things in our day-to-day lives that makes transformation, both spiritually and physically, possible. In Matthew 19:26 NLT, Jesus says “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Through Christ, I am well-balanced, disciplined, and self-controlled. I’m able to follow a nutrition plan that helps me reach my goals and consistently exercise. Am I perfect? ABSOLUTELY NOT. But each day I do strive for progress and remind myself of who I am in Christ, and each day I am closer to my goals than I was before.

Remember earlier I mentioned patience, consistency, and commitment? Those are also crucial components of any transformation. We live in a society where people want what they want and they want it NOW. We want Grandma Margaret-quality, made-in-the-oven mac and cheese, but we want it from the microwave. We want the ten-year veteran’s corner office and VP title at the office, but we want to have it in 2 years. We want the results of 3, 5, even 10 years’ worth of hard work in the gym to manifest itself in 12 weeks. That desire for instant gratification comes from our flesh, and it is deceptive and destructive. We have to make decisions in each moment that reward us in the long-term, not in that moment. Sure, going home after work instead of the gym sounds nice and relaxing. Sure, indulging in rich foods tastes good. But those are INSTANT gratification decisions that provide NO long term satisfaction. We have to plant today what we want to harvest later. Galatians 6:7-9 GW says “Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you’ll harvest. If you plant in the soil of your corrupt nature, you will harvest destruction. But if you plant in the soil of your spiritual nature, you will harvest everlasting life. We can’t allow ourselves to get tired of living the right way. Certainly, each of us will receive everlasting life at the proper time, if we don’t give up.” We each have to be willing to put in the work, spiritually and physically, on a daily basis, while concurrently accepting that we may not reap the rewards instantly. I know if I exercise consistently, I will improve. I won’t see the results of today’s workout today, but over time, I will reap the benefits of better health and longevity. I know that if I choose to eat in moderation each day, I will reap the rewards of a body that performs for me and that I feel comfortable in. As my coach says, the journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step. I know I must take a step each day to continue on my journey. I can’t grow tired of living the right way.

I want to stress to you that your "transformation" will probably never end. You will never be where you want to be. You will probably never reach a point where you think, "I'm finally where I want to be in my faith." You will more than likely never look in the mirror and think, "Man, there isn't a thing I'd change about this body of mine." And that's okay. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6 NLT "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until he is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." We were created to be perpetual works in progress. I believe this applies to all aspects of our lives.

One of the things I do in my day-to-day life is pray the Scriptures. It is the only truth I have to stand on. In fact, I have shared with you some of the very verses I pray frequently. As you go about your day and the rest of your week, I encourage you to pray about your own transformation, both spiritually and physically, and I’ll leave you with this verse as a prayer starter:

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I please with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 NLT

Until next time…

LIFT HEAVY – TRAIN HARD – FUEL YOUR BODY – FEED YOUR FAITH