Doing Hard Things

A Practical Journey: Training Through Challenge

One such example is my personal journey of preparing for the Johannesburg, Hyrox race.

What started as a personal challenge—motivated partly by a fear of failure—became something far deeper over time. Four months of consistent training required early mornings, discipline, and perseverance.

This journey unfolded alongside the realities of family life, including caring for a newborn and navigating demanding responsibilities. Yet even in that tension, a rhythm began to form:

• Waking up early
• Spending time in prayer and worship
• Showing up consistently, regardless of how one felt

It wasn’t just physical training—it became spiritual formation.

Walking Through the Process

1. Faithfulness in the Daily Discipline

Growth is built in the quiet, unseen decisions.

Day after day, choosing to show up—especially when tired—became an act of obedience. Strength was not found in human effort alone, but in continually returning to Christ.

In these moments, devotion to God becomes the foundation of endurance.

2. Growth That Isn’t Immediately Visible

Halfway through the journey, progress didn’t feel obvious.

The workouts remained difficult. There was little sense of improvement. It would have been easy to assume nothing was changing.

But beneath the surface, something significant was happening:

• Discipline was forming
• Endurance was increasing
• Consistency was being established

God often works in hidden ways, shaping character long before visible results appear.

3. Learning to Endure with Christ

When race day arrived, every station was still difficult.

The challenge did not disappear—but something had changed internally. There was no longer resistance to the discomfort—there was the ability to move through it.

This is the difference Christ makes:

• Not the removal of hardship
• But the strength to walk through it

Over time, what once felt overwhelming becomes something we are able to endure—because we have trained with Him.

Outcome

The race was completed in 2 hours and 8 minutes.

But the real outcome was not the time—it was transformation.

A deeper dependence on Christ. A greater capacity for endurance. A life shaped by daily faithfulness.

Faith Reflection

It is easy to wish that following Christ would remove life’s challenges entirely.

But Scripture offers a better promise.

Isaiah 43:2 (NLT) reminds us:

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”