Bring It On!

April 14, 2011 –

“Bring It!”

It is the rallying call of P90xers everywhere! But have you thought about what it means to you?

As I have said numerous times, those who start P90x are looking for something. They want to change their current trajectory. They want to dig down, challenge themselves, and see if they can complete this 90-day extreme mission. Some have a preconceived notion of who they want to be on the other side. Many of us (including me) aren’t quite sure, but we know it will be a better place than when we started.

I think the program had such a mental, emotional, and spiritual effect on me because many of my doubts, fears, and head trash were (and still are) battled in those workouts. The physical acts transform themselves into strengthening my other cornerstones.

I could do (2) unassisted pull-ups on Day 1 and the second one wasn’t even clean. I remember Tony saying on Day 1 in the intro to “Chest & Back”, “…remove I can’t and say I presently struggle with”. Ah, the wisdom starts and we aren’t even in into the first warm-up.  As we struggle and push ourselves, many say we find out what we are “made of”.  And this is not about muscle strength. This is about mental strength and toughness. This is about the conversations we have with ourselves. Are we going to quit when things get tough? Are we going to allow ourselves to open up and try new things, whether that is Yoga or new foods? Are we going to have the strength to say “No” to the things that are bringing us down?

Ever psych yourself out? Is it because your muscles couldn’t do the work? No, it is because you weren’t mentally ready. The ideology behind a “Bring It!” attitude makes us stronger in ALL ways. And as we start to struggle less and less and start gaining more confidence, we say “Bring It!” a little louder each time.

Now here is my spiritual take on this rallying cry. One of my favorite artists is Steven Curtis Chapman. He is one of the most popular Christian artists today and his songs have provided countless inspiration and spiritual direction for me. I was listening to him last week while running and one of his songs really hit me. The song? “Bring It On!” What else?  Take a listen. I have copied the lyrics at the end of my blog as well. (Note –  this is not my YouTube post. )

What I love about the lyrics is that they are a call to not fear those things that will challenge us and drive us closer to God. I want to highlight a couple of lines.

“I’m not going to run from the very things that will drive me closer to Him.”

Ah, those “things” scare me. The unknown. The road less traveled. I want safety, predictability, and things that don’t cause me any distress. I run away from those “things”. But the call is to NOT run away and stand with confidence saying “Bring It On!”. And how do we gain confidence? Ah, the answer is in the following lyric.

“Let me be made weak so I know the strength of the One who’s strong. Bring It On!”

We are not alone. In fact, we have God in our corner fighting for us. In a world where independence and self-reliance are glorified, we are reminded to be dependent on God. For it is with His strength that we stand with confidence and we stand without fear. The closer we are to Him, the stronger we get. However, some times we need “things” to happen to drive us closer. And to that we say, “Bring It On!”

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Bring It On!

By Steven Curtis Chapman

I didn’t come lookin’ for trouble
And I don’t want to fight needlessly
But I’m not gonna hide in a bubble
If trouble comes for me
I can feel my heart beating faster
I can tell something’s coming down
But if it’s gonna make me grow stronger then…

Bring it on
Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow
Bring it on
Let the trouble come, let the hard rain fall, let it make me strong
Bring it on

Now, maybe you’re thinkin’ I’m crazy
And maybe I need to explain some things
‘Cause I know I’ve got an enemy waiting
Who wants to bring me pain
But what he never seems to remember
What he means for evil God works for good
So I will not retreat or surrender

Now, I don’t want to sound like some hero
‘Cause it’s God alone that my hope is in
But I’m not gonna run from the very things
That would drive me closer to Him
So bring it on

Bring it on
Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow
Bring it on
Let the trouble come, let it make me fall on the One who’s strong
Bring it on
Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow
Bring it on
Let me be made weak so I’ll know the strength of the One who’s strong
Bring it on
Bring it on

4 Responses to “Bring It On!”

1. Coach Leo says:

   April 14, 2011 at 8:28 pm

   Thanks for introducing us to this artist and the song choice is pretty awesome.

   Coach Leo

   Reply
   • Coach Mike says:

     April 15, 2011 at 3:01 am

     Thanks Leo!

     Reply