"BEAST MODE."
You hear that term all the time in the fitness world, and honestly, I've really never been a fan of it. But this is not what you think...
My in-laws bought this shirt for me a while back, but I had never looked up the meaning until the other day. I loved it and had to share this from Juan Pierre who came up with the concept:
"Before I got saved I always thought Christians were soft especially Christian athletes.
So once I got saved and developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I realized that Jesus is a Beast. Jesus isn’t soft by any means. He died for me, for all of us, on the cross – He took my place on it (the Cross) and He saved me from eternal destruction (hell). Also, He was relentless in pursuing to do His Father’s business – He never gave up!
Jesus is our best example of how we should live on this earth. So if Jesus is a Beast then I should be a beast in every aspect of my life whether I’m on the baseball field or off the field - as a husband, father, son, brother, employee, church member, etc. So to be in Beast Mode is to be in Christ Mode!!!
24.7.365
This simply represents that we have to pickup our cross 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to follow Him – there are no days off! Every morning that we wake up we have a choice to follow him and live as He lived! In other words, 24.7.365 means to be relentless in our pursuit to do our Father’s business just as Jesus Christ did!"
Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men”
-Jaun Pierre
Maybe I sound like a broken record, but I believe this is important. For a while, I lost sight of what my true purpose in life is. I was obsessed for years with shaping and building my body, creating the muscular physique I always wanted. My thoughts, my energy, and my time went into achieving that goal. It began to consume me. I found myself comparing my body to others, critiquing myself in the mirror, and obsessing over my training and nutrition.
Then one day I realized that fitness had taken God's place in my life. I was not focusing on my relationship with Him more than I was fitness, and His voice had been crowded out by the constant thoughts about training and nutrition. I wasn't living out my purpose as a Christ follower whole-heartedly, that of loving and reaching others for Him and helping those in need.
Don't get me wrong, I love inspiring people to lift weights, to be strong and healthy, and I believe it's important...but that's not what really matters most of all. I realize now that inspiring people to take care of their bodies means nothing, absolutely nothing, if I haven't pointed them to the One who can save their souls.
Fitness is my passion, and I believe that God gave me this passion for a reason. Every day I am thankful for my health, SO thankful that He has allowed me do to what I do and to reach others for Him though fitness. I am failing miserably at living the life I should for Him and am still struggling to find balance in my life when it comes to fitness and nutrition, but thankfully I have His grace and strength to help me on this journey!
I'll keep training hard and lifting heavy(and I'll always LOVE muscles!) as long as God allows me to, but I no longer stress about the being on the "perfect" nutrition or training plan.... because shaping my physique is NOT the main goal of my life. Knowing Christ and making Him known is all that really matters, what should be the goal of ALL who call themselves Christ followers.
If your training and nutrition is stressing you out, it may be time to take a step back and re-evaluate your priorities. Have you allowed your fitness and physique goals to consume your life? Have you neglected your relationship with God in your pursuit of your goal body? If so, I encourage you to turn back to Him. Make knowing Him your passion, above ALL else. We have to remember that God's goal for us is not to be as muscular or lean or strong as possible. It's not to try to impress people with our physiques(and yes, I'm guilty of this!). That's not what God sees, and it's not what's most important in life!
Then one day I realized that fitness had taken God's place in my life. I was not focusing on my relationship with Him more than I was fitness, and His voice had been crowded out by the constant thoughts about training and nutrition. I wasn't living out my purpose as a Christ follower whole-heartedly, that of loving and reaching others for Him and helping those in need.
Don't get me wrong, I love inspiring people to lift weights, to be strong and healthy, and I believe it's important...but that's not what really matters most of all. I realize now that inspiring people to take care of their bodies means nothing, absolutely nothing, if I haven't pointed them to the One who can save their souls.
I'll keep training hard and lifting heavy(and I'll always LOVE muscles!) as long as God allows me to, but I no longer stress about the being on the "perfect" nutrition or training plan.... because shaping my physique is NOT the main goal of my life. Knowing Christ and making Him known is all that really matters, what should be the goal of ALL who call themselves Christ followers.
If your training and nutrition is stressing you out, it may be time to take a step back and re-evaluate your priorities. Have you allowed your fitness and physique goals to consume your life? Have you neglected your relationship with God in your pursuit of your goal body? If so, I encourage you to turn back to Him. Make knowing Him your passion, above ALL else. We have to remember that God's goal for us is not to be as muscular or lean or strong as possible. It's not to try to impress people with our physiques(and yes, I'm guilty of this!). That's not what God sees, and it's not what's most important in life!
Great post Lindsay
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