Fitness Coaching: Am I Just Like the Rest?

Freedom found in fitness and understanding my gifts

I don't want to be another cliche.

I want my spirit to awaken others to NEW things, unheard of things, things locked deep within their souls that come blasting out like trumpet sound, barreling like a stampede of wild horses with manes tangled by the wind, like a blues-y song erupting from the throat of the wanderer.

I don't want to be like anyone else. But sometimes I'm afraid to be me. Me - flawed, yet forgiven; disorganized, yet motivated; sometimes-angsty, yet oh-so-loving. Me.

But I'm learning to love the person whom God is calling me to be. I love her (me) because she is crafted by His hand. I am loved, and so are you.

I want to motivate you to be you, unabashed, unfiltered, raw, and in all your splendor. I want to learn from you, to grow alongside you, to pray with you.

When people hear "Fitness Coach" they may get an idea in their heads. I know I do! I don't want to fit the mold. I reject that there's a mold at all! I am not lean and cut with an eternal tan, sculpted muscles, and perfect eating habits. And I don't think it's fair to assume that about anyone in the coaching world.

I am servant-hearted, leader-minded, and relentless in the pursuit of love. I believe my body is a temple, and that when I take care of the house of the Spirit, the Spirit is safe to express itself to others. I believe God cares about this immensely. Being sick is a distraction, being overweight hinders our energies and abilities to reach others. Hating our own bodies detracts from our willingness to go out and love on others.

No. I am not a cliche, and neither are you. We are free to be all that God calls us to be. 

May we keep our eyes on Him as He shapes us (pun intended? hehe) to the woman or man He intends for us to be.

You are unique. You are a wonder.

Interested in learning more about being coached by yours truly?? 

Here's the link to find my contact info, and more about what I'm doing:
http://www.teambeachbody.com/cheriejohnson

The Gift You've Been Given

I haven't been writing much lately. The school year does that to me. :)
Some of my other thoughts are over here, as those musings relate to one of my other "hats" - fitness coaching: http://www.teambeachbody.com/cheriejohnson
**Look on the right-hand side to find my blog posts.**

Let us love the gifts God has given us.

I am inspired by a verse that my exquisitely talented and loving friend Elizabeth shared today.

1 Peter 4:10 says, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."

Let's break that down.

1) Each of you - Ok, so that's ALL OF US, not just some: EACH. All. You. Me. None of us are excluded in this verse. Hallelujah!

2) Should use - We are given something useful! Amen! But what?

3) Whatever gift you have received - Notice it does not say "if you have received a gift." The verse clearly states that we have all received a gift (or gifts). What a generous God to give us gifts that we can use on this earth! That means we each have something to be proud of, something to help us grow, something to brighten the world.

4) To serve others - This gift us not for us to hide. It is to "let us shine"!
Just now, as I was writing this, I stopped my 7th graders from reading and asked them each to identify a gift they had that could be used to help others.
Their answers were filled with uncertainty: "I don't have a gift, I don't think."
Their answers were filled with pride: "I'm pretty good at video games!" (To which, of course, I asked them how that could better the world, and the answers changed!)
Their answers revealed that they were soul searching:
"I guess I am pretty kind to others."
"I'm generous."
"I'm a good entertainer."
"I like to make people laugh."

5) As faithful stewards of God's grace - May we be faithful, relentless, tireless in using our gifts.
Dictionary.com defines a steward as "a person who manages another's property or financial affairs..." We are managing God's grace!!! That means we use our gifts to manage God's property - grace, or His financial affairs - metaphorically, the riches of being found in His love and mercy!

6) In its various forms - God's grace takes on various forms, and those various forms are the variety of gifts He's given to us. My gift is probably different than yours, and this is a beautiful thing! A wondrous thing! A blessing! Because the brother or sister who may not be reached by my gift can be reached by another's gift. He or she may not care about running or fitness like I do, but perhaps his or or her passion is art. Someone else can speak to that person with the gift of art; where I could not reach, you can.

During the Christmas season, may we dwell more on our spiritual gifts than ever before. Remember Jesus, the Giver of eternal life - the Generous One, the Humble One, the Servant Heart and Mighty King.

Finally, let us LOVE the gifts God has given us! Let us rejoice that He gave us our passions, our unique talents! Instead of being envious of another's gift, let's offer ours up to Christ, allowing Him to move in us to shine ever-so-brightly to others.

Praise God for the gift of His Son!