God Is Always Moving (Even if My Legs Are Sore)

When I first heard about the Relentless Challenge—a 40-day physical challenge during Lent with the goal of logging 2,800 miles with a team—I thought, “Heck yes, I’m in! I need a good push.” I quickly committed, envisioning myself hoisting a golden trophy to the applause of friends and family in a few short weeks, ready to then pursue even loftier goals like hiking a volcano or swimming the Delaware.

But then it hit me. “Wait, 2,800 miles?!” My mind began to spiral:

“What did I get myself into?”

“This is going to be hard as heck.”

“I don’t have time to commit to something EVERY day… ugh.”

“My team is going to hate me.”

“I gotta join a gym or something.”

“I can’t keep up with group messages.”

Then my friend Julie said something like, “Hey, just do what you can, and remember that we all have things going on or are unsure about this—we just know we will try.” That was the encouragement I needed. I was back in.

I focused on what I could do (within reason) and committed to giving 100%. I don’t have a bike (nor do I enjoy riding stationary bikes), but some of my teammates did - GREAT! I have bad ankles, so I won’t be running a gazillion miles, but I can walk two miles - GREAT! I can’t afford a gym membership, but I can walk inside my building during lunch or before work - GREAT!

For the 40 days, I primarily walked around my office building (inside or outside) after I dropped one of my daughters at school. It began with what felt like awkward silence. Just me…my footsteps…and my mind, which was trying to convince me that I could be doing things for work or should have done things at home versus walking. The mental game was becoming more difficult than the physical one.

I needed some outside help on my inner battle. After a couple of days, I decided to listen to a song by my church that I had been singing for a while, about how God is always moving in our lives. Though I had heard it hundreds of times, the words hit differently that day.

I was walking outside. It was chilly, and I remember the sun was so bright, the cool air hit my eyes, and I thought, “Oh, my eyes are tearing up from the wind,” but then it hit me. I was crying-crying, not wind-in-my-face-crying.

I was overwhelmed by the meaning of the lyrics, and as I continued to walk around the parking lot, I began singing at the top of my lungs, “Great is your faithfulness! Great is your faithfulness! I don’t know how you always do it—you never change, you’re always moving—GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS!” God was so loud and so clear in that moment, and such simple truths of my faith began to flood my mind.

He gave the gift of life. He gave me the gift of being able to see the sun—to move my body—to smell the scents floating in the air. I felt his presence and I was comforted.

I realized that this challenge was more than physical, it was spiritual. I needed more alone time with God; he showed me that I could do it. I was trying to come up with every excuse not to, and I felt God say to me: “My sweet girl, you CAN”.

My new rhythm had begun. As weekends would come, sometimes, I’d walk around my large church’s atrium on Sundays while listening to the message or just waiting on my daughter, who was volunteering after I got out of one service. Not only did I start to feel less back pain, which had been ongoing for several years, but I also lost 11 pounds. I didn’t change my eating much, but my water intake doubled from what it had been, and that awareness was massive for me.

No one made me feel less than when I went a couple of days without inputting my numbers. When I did, I would catch up by walking twice the distance or committing to a workout on YouTube for an hour. I wanted to be accountable; I just wanted to do my part for the team—even if I didn’t feel like doing it for myself. So I woke up earlier, stayed up later, walked, jogged, jumped rope, and squatted for the team. God made me reLENTless (ah, that’s why it’s 40 days…)!

At the start of the challenge, I thought there was no way I could work out seven days a week—are you crazy?! But there I was. When I found myself getting out of rhythm and having to catch up I remembered, “He’s always moving, so I have to, also. Suck it up, buttercup!”

I remember feeling embarrassed to video myself doing a challenge, letting doubt play with my mind—“You’re going to look ridiculous, you can’t hold a plank, people are going to laugh when they see you doing jumping jacks.” And guess what? They did! We ALL laughed because it was FUN. It was genuinely fun to joke with friends about how much effort it took, our wrong shoes, slipping hands, or even our dogs licking our faces. We were in this together, and that made it so special. I honestly didn’t care if I lost any weight; I knew I was feeling better, laughing more, drinking more water, and for the first time in several years, reflecting on how blessed I am to be physically able to move.

My team wasn’t the top group to finish, BUT, we finished. We were a team of ‘regular’ people and, in some cases, people trying to do more than they had​​ the 40 days prior. Even in the last couple of days, we all pushed to finish the race. We were relentless, and since the challenge ended, I’ve missed that. Accountability was everything.

So here I am, ready for round two. As I work on assembling my team, I’ve had serious conversations about making it our goal to complete this challenge, take a break, but then restart to take on another challenge—but to stay together! Trust me, if I can do it, you can, too.

At the end of the day, the goal is to finish, but the journey is the best part. And if God is always moving, so can I.