but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
 they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31  (NIV)

Do we rely on God’s grace to maneuver our life journey? Some rely completely on their own abilities and connections. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle of those two alternatives. I was certainly one of them for the first thirty-seven years of my life.

My traumatic brain injury changed the way I look at everything in life. I had to rely on God’s grace more than ever. Tragedy or disaster will do that for us! Do we rely on our talents and connections to carry us forward? The combination of those two qualities can lead to a victory of our goals. When life happens, as it will, we realize that our circumstances were not the ONLY source of our good fortune.

What some refer to as luck or good fortune, I believe to be God showering us with His favor. We don’t need a tragedy to experience God’s grace though.

God’s grace is His unmerited favor for us as his children. We don’t do anything to deserve it! We are just part of God’s family. That’s what family does! I felt God’s grace dramatically after my accident.

God’s grace is most manifest when it’s combined with grit. That mean’s God’s favor combined with hard work! As a marathon runner, I always thought that I was the epitome of grit. I knew how to endure in difficulty and persevere to the end. And I certainly knew about passion!

What exactly IS grit? Yes, it’s our passion for something with the determined effort to achieve it. It’s also a diligence that never lets us give up on the dream. I thought that’s all that grit entailed. It’s not that simple though.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:10  (NIV)

Grit means reevaluating our goals after setbacks occur. I could write a whole book on setbacks! Grit also requires a positive outlook on life. We call this hope. Finally, grit always looks out for the common good of all. That means it can’t be all about us!

 In an effort to become all that God wanted me to be AND increase my grit score, my new mission became finding all the ways I could help and include others in my goals. That was actually pretty easy with the business I established. I had become a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. My motive was to be out in the world again and prove to myself I could do it! I wanted to pass on to others the strategies I had learned from my years as a physical therapy patient. I never dreamed I would be inspiring my clients or students, but that’s exactly what happened!

After years tucked away in my own head, it’s wonderful to be interacting with others every day. Surprisingly, this took grit for me. It’s much easier to go my solitary way and not concern myself with the needs or desires of others.

By grace, my life was saved and my outlook always remained hopeful. By grit, I used my determination to forge an active, yet challenged life where not only me, but all those around me could be positive and hopeful.

God’s grace is a free gift He gives to all of us. Let’s find ways we can combine that grace with our natural talents to make the world a better place for others!

Dear Lord,

Help us use our grit and determination to communicate the message You want us to give to others…a message of hope!

You know what we struggle with. We want to do it ourselves. We don’t want to bother You. Remind us always that Your grace for us can carry us through any situation we encounter in this life. We CANNOT do everything without You!

Once you are on mvarga.com, please read through past blogs and find more about my books & fitness tips!

You can also follow me on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mlvarga/

Yet I was surrounded by God’s grace from the moment my accident happened. I still continue to see His grace in my circumstances every day. After my accident, friends and family kept constant vigil.

Once I became independent enough to live on my own, others didn’t feel the need to check on me all the time. I became so obsessed with recapturing my physical “normalness” that I was okay to spend hours every day exercising and doing physical therapy.  I had become self-absorbed with tunnel vision for my own self-improvement. So I did not reach out to others who had been there for me through thick and thin.

God’s grace is most manifest when it’s combined with GRIT. As a marathon runner, I always thought that I was the epitome of grit. I knew how to endure in difficulty and persevere to the end. And I certainly knew about passion!

What exactly IS grit? Yes, it is passion for something with the determined effort to achieve it. It’s also a diligence that never lets you give up on the dream. I thought that’s all that grit entailed. It’s not that simple though.

 Grit means reevaluating goals after setbacks occur. I could write a whole book on setbacks! Grit also requires a positive outlook on life. I call this hope. Finally, grit always looks out for the common good of all. That means it can’t be all about me!

In an effort to become all that God wanted me to be AND increase my grit score, my new mission became finding all the ways I could help and include others in my goals. That was actually pretty easy with the business I had established. I had become a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. My motive was to be out in the world again and prove to myself I could do it! I wanted to pass on the strategies I had learned from my years as a physical therapy patient. I never dreamed I would be inspiring my clients or students, but that’s exactly what happened!

I teach a class in balance and stability. The ladies and men feel confident that my class is a safe place to try challenging moves. They couldn’t possibly look as silly as I do! My new normal has become poking fun at myself as I move about awkwardly to keep my balance. That usually includes holding onto a chair.

No, I am NOT the ideal example of an active, tenured fitness professional. I do, however, try to look the part with the best yoga pants and athletic shoes, as well as fitness tops in every color of the rainbow. Then I try to use my knowledge of aerobic fitness, strength, flexibility and balance to demonstrate the best ways to accomplish their exercise goals.  Exercise takes discipline, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun!