As I approach the brink of a new year I’m reminded of the excitement that stirs in the hearts of so many Body-for-LIFE contenders and advocates as they await to hear which new champions will take the stage and grab the torch. On behalf of the Body-for-LIFE Team Champions, I’m honored to have represented the BFL family in 2010; however I’m even more thrilled to continue to be an ambassador for the vehicle that allowed me and my teammates to experience not just this year’s victory but one that goes beyond the competition.
I remember during our journey, Timmy (the eldest of the champions) was offered a slice of pizza on a training day and he simply yet boldly said, “Not in this temple.” I came to the realization that I was truly accountable to God for my body which I was the steward of. It is temporary yet I am responsible for “disciplining it and bringing it under subjection”, which also includes my thoughts and desires.
Body-for-LIFE and my teammates helped sharpen me to the point where I no longer could go back to the wide open pastures I had found myself in. Sure, I have been tempted and fallen off the narrow path but when you’re ‘doing life’ along side like minded conquerors it makes running the race not just bearable but enjoyable as well. (This is best seen in some of the footage we captured along the way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcPHFcF8Pks )
I had found success with Body-for-LIFE in the past after having been introduced to it by my roommate from college but this time when I entered with my team it took my experience to an entirely new level. Billy the Kid from the movie Young Guns puts it best after he sees his fellow outlaws beginning to waver and fall away from their goal, “Pals…See, you got three/four good pals, why then - you got yourself a tribe…and there ain’t nothin’ stronger than that.”
Therefore, find your tribe, even if you’ve entered The Challenge alone and remember, “Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.”
I just saw our latest BFL Champions and I’m truly thrilled for them. Serving as one myself, it puts things into perspective as I understand what they have gone through to reach the podium. Congratulations to this year’s BFL Champs.
Strong to the Finish,
Jeffrey Maniatty
2010 Body-for-LIFE Group Champion
Jeffrey, I would like to thank you for the powerful words that you divinely wrote on your blog. I am taking this challenge more and more serious each week as I watch my innerself transform. I am in my third week. I am writing a book along the way because I have noticed an inner transformation taking place. More importantly, from a spiritual standpoint, my eyes have been opened and I can see how I have been treating God's temple like trash. Since I have truly made the decision to start the transformation process, I see everything so differently as if I was the walking dead. It was good for me to read someone else that sees this challenge from a spiritual perspective. Thanks.