6. Compete Only with Yourself. Comparison distracts you from your divine assignment. Your only true opponent is yesterday’s version of you. Measuring yourself by others limits God’s unique design in you. Contentment fuels consistent progress. Celebrate others without copying them.
In “Lessons Learned from CrossFit,” Dr. Milton K. Smith draws spiritual and personal growth principles from the discipline of physical training. CrossFit becomes a metaphor for life, faith, and perseverance. The chapter emphasizes that growth—spiritual, emotional, or physical—requires commitment, courage, consistency, and flexibility. Smith uses relatable examples from his own fitness journey to reveal timeless truths about conquering fear, embracing discomfort, and focusing on personal progress rather than comparison.
Each “lesson” in this chapter mirrors a training principle that also applies to the Christian walk: facing fears, enduring pain, addressing internal “knots,” and learning to stretch beyond one’s comfort zone. The CrossFit box becomes symbolic of challenges we all face in life—the box we must eventually “jump on” to grow stronger. The message is clear: transformation is possible when we commit, confront, and continue, even when results seem slow or painful.