Challenge #2 - 74 days left

Well if yesterday was the hardest workout ever, then today by far was the hottest workout ever.  My alarm didn't go off this morning.  Fortunately, I rolled over and looked at the clock when it was 5:35.  By 5:45 I was out the door and on my way.  Usually at 5:45 AM the temps in Minneapolis are around 60 degrees or so, thus far.  However, today when I opened the door to my garage, I thought "this must be some mistake".  It was already 81 degrees. I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and there was no time to change or I would be late.  So I went to my workout in my new workout pants [which are a size smaller than what I had been wearing :)] that had not been washed, which of course makes clothing hotter, and my long sleeve shirt.  I thought if nothing else perhaps I would sweat off an extra pound today.  I made it through the workout fine and the only hardship that came from it are the sore muscles that I now have this evening.

As you may remember, I mentioned at the end of last week my friend Julie is going to sponsor me in a 5K in late August or September.  This was my first big goal that I added to my challenge since I started.  I have never been a runner and have certainly never run a 5K before.  I am happy that she challenged me with this as I know it will stretch me farther to better health.

Today I added a second big challenge for myself.  I learned today that my crossfit gym has a very hard, 17 minute crossfit workout challenge on September 17.  Money raised for the challenge will go for college scholarships and immediate aide to families who have lost a parent currently serving in our nation's military.  (God bless our military and sacrifices them and their families make for our nation!)

Yes, I have not mastered crossfit.  To be quite honest, I most likely will not have mastered it by September 17 either.  However, I am going to do my very best to achieve whatever circuit is set before me that day.  I also think knowing that I will be doing this will help me to challenge myself even harder daily when I go to crossfit.  Even though I am not the best "crossfitter", it is a goal I want to achieve.  And most importantly, it is something I know I need to do for myself.

Thinking of this challenge made me think of Esther in the Bible.  She had prepared herself for a long time to have the opportunity to go before the king and save her nation of Israel.  She was afraid to do it because it could mean death.  Yet she did it anyway because she knew that she had been raised up for "such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).

I know what Esther did was a much larger deal in comparison to my meager 17 minute crossfit challenge.  However, when I am faced with a challenge, I like to think of people who have been challenged and did what they needed to do.  It encourages me to think that if God gave Esther the strength to go before the king when she could be killed, then surely he can give me the strength to do this little thing like a 17 minute workout. He will also give me the strength to lose 100 lbs.  And when I am finished with that, he will continue to give me the strength to lose the rest.  God's grace is sufficient for me.

2 Corinthians 12:9a (New American Standard Bible) - And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”