I had to laugh when I looked back at my prayer journal from five years ago. I was praying for Jeff, that he would:
- Get up early
- Exercise
I would have never imagined that now he’d be waking at 4am so he can get his triathlon training in before the kids and I wake up. Ha! I never would have dreamed that we’d be planning our annual family road-trip around the dates for the Arizona half-ironman, that he’d be racing with Team World Vision and the result would be thousands of dollars raised to provide clean water for kids in Africa.
It wasn’t that he was lazy back then, he was just in a slump, a hard season. We all have them. But it’s been amazing for me to watch a true transformation in my man’s life over the last 4.5 years. It’s not just about early-rising and exercise, it’s about the inside-out transformation God does, often through physical discipline. It’s been such a joy to see him not only enjoy the physical and spiritual benefits of exercise, but to now partner with Team World Vision, getting to do what he loves to help those in need.
I share this for a few reasons.
- People can change. Sure, we might not all be elite athletes, but it’s such a load of lies to believe that “we’ll always be this way” or “he’ll always be this way.” God-inspired baby-steps can lead to total transformation over the long haul.
- Prayer is our most powerful weapon. Pretty sure we know this, but nagging never works. Nobody ever got nagged into greatness. Praying fervently for those we love is the best idea. Always.
- It’s Jeff’s birthday today (woohoo!) and in honor of his 38th, he’s chosen to do a 38.3-mile triathlon tomorrow, to raise more money for those kiddos in Africa.
Will you help me celebrate him by contributing to the cause?
I don’t mean to make this a brag-on-my-man post but I just can’t help saying: If you could see how hard this man works. He rises before dawn to discipline his body by running, biking, lifting, then spending time in the Word and prayer, laboring over the scriptures and praying for us and so many others. He leads with humility. He gives himself selflessly, over and over and over, in order to free me up to pursue what God’s called me to do. He loves others faithfully. He serves our family tirelessly. He lives frugally, often going without. He thinks of others before himself. He never demands his own way. He’s eternally patient with my ups and downs. He constantly invests in our kids.
And all he wants for his birthday is a whole bunch of contributions to World Vision for water projects in South Sudan. So, would you consider blessing him (me!) by doing just that? It’s easy peasy, click here and follow the instructions. Oh and you can read more about this adventure here. I think it’ll be worth your time. http://www.renewjeff.com/loneliman-38pt3-preview/
Thank you for helping me celebrate my man, and praise God for His good work in his life. Happy weekend. Thanks for reading.