Embracing Challenges: A Path to Spiritual Growth
When I crossed the finish line at the Louisville Marathon last year, completing it in 3:50:34 and achieving my sub-4-hour goal, I experienced an intense sense of accomplishment. Not only because I had reached my goal, but I had smashed it. The exhilaration I felt wasn’t because I ran an objectively great marathon time. I know great runners who break 3:15 on their worst day. My personal victory was in surpassing a challenging milestone that was difficult for me to accomplish.
An important life lesson I’ve learned, through running marathons and other pursuits, is that it is not about whether your achievements are objectively impressive compared to the best in the world at what you’re trying to achieve, but whether your achievements were hard for you to achieve, yet you found a way to achieve them anyway. It is evidence that growth is possible. And it is a reminder that you are capable of more than you think. Pursuing tough goals, like my marathon, reveals untapped capabilities that live in all of us. For me, it fosters spiritual growth and brings me closer to God.
While I’m writing this in the hope that it can be helpful to the reader, candidly, I’m also writing this as a reminder to myself. I’m someone who is constantly comparing my achievements to extraordinary people around me. I’m good at finding reasons why my achievements aren’t as impressive as someone else’s or explaining that what I achieved isn’t really all that impressive compared to the best in the world. This kind of thinking is toxic. If you’re stretching yourself and growing, you are doing something objectively great.
In my experience, it is through this stretching that I have learned amazing things are possible. Truly amazing things. Things that I didn’t think were possible before I set out to do them, like running a sub-4 marathon… or like buying a house, having a baby, and buying a business all in the same 12-month period. 2022 and 2023 were busy years for our family!
As I embrace more challenges and responsibilities in life ahead, I am choosing to focus on how they’re helping me grow instead of choosing to focus on feeling overwhelmed. One of the secrets to life, if you’re doing it right, is knowing that as you grow, the responsibilities only get bigger, the stakes only get higher, and your stress level rises. The beautiful thing is that you get stronger – not only physically, mentally, and emotionally – but spiritually as well. This spiritual growth, in turn, makes you better prepared for the next challenge, which (spoiler alert!) will involve more responsibility, higher stakes, and more stress. In my experience, spiritual growth brings me closer to understanding God’s will for me and hopefully helps give me the strength to carry it out.
The process of spiritual growth that arises from facing challenges is gradual. It may not always feel like it, but you are indeed growing and that is awesome. This growth ensures you are equipped to push the next boulder up the next mountain. But for now, it’s important to remember that all that’s required is to push the boulder that’s in front of you right now up the mountain ahead of you right now. Be where your feet are. Living this way has led me to fulfillment, purpose, motivation, and most importantly, spiritual transformation. So go seek out and embrace life’s challenges – you are being called to greatness!