This Testimony Tuesday we celebrate athlete Emily Massey. Emily is a recent graduate out of our ReStart Your Heart Program and ecstatic to continue her wellness journey.
Emily…
is married to a supportive, kind husband and has been blessed with two sons now elementary school age, who possess boundless energy. She is a jack of many trades and a master of none, but the Lord has called her to perform a service and encouragement role to many. In response to answering the Lord’s calling, she has found it necessary to put her own professional career on hold for the moment. My husband has been blessed with the responsibility of a dental practice “on fire” for the Lord. Her husband’s practice serves many pastors, missionaries, church staff, believers and their families. She helps out with the administration of the practice and prays diligently that the office can be a source of encouragement and a display of God’s glory. She and her husband are thankful that the Lord has created a wonderful community around them of immediate family, school friends and church families. Her prayers petition that the Lord help them create stronger relationships with neighbors, manage the pace of their daily responsibilities, and create time for recreation.
When she thinks of her fitness journey…
the three words that come to mind are “important, interrupted, and increasing.”
Having grown up with a “FIT” father, she always realized the benefit of healthy living as early as high school when she was named, “Athlete of the Year”. Later she became a fitness instructor at the YMCA before getting married and becoming a mother. However, with the added responsibilities of motherhood and marriage, her fitness journey was interrupted thus preventing her from being able to prioritize healthy living habits. Emily is thankful for the discipline and reinforcement provided through the MissionFit program and the encouragement to stay focused on making sure she is doing her best for the Lord.
Relative to Emily’s fitness journey…
her specific triumphs include early training on the importance of healthy living as well as a supportive husband. In terms of obstacles faced, she lists too much to do with too little available time, compounded by many moves. Emily’s motivation to pursue her fitness journey to wellness is attributed to her desire to be at her best for what the Lord calls her to do. She also credits the ladies in her workout group for serving as part of her personal support system through ongoing encouragement to maintain her training commitment.
When asked about the connection between faith and health…
Emily indicates that “Spiritual Fitness” is a pillar of healthy living, and in its absence, the temple that is the human body crumbles! And with this belief, she relies on the Lord for strength sustenance and guidance to find the right pace of life, find time for rest, set appropriate daily goals, manage stress, and choose healthy meals.
Her attempts at fleshy solutions have failed, and conversely, her success thus far is only because the Lord has allowed it for His glory alone. There is still work to be done, and Emily prayerfully requests that the Lord sees her thru to the next level of being able to live for Him.
When asked why she would encourage others to begin their own fitness journeys…
Emily believes that MissionFit is a great program because it focuses on the health/fitness/nutritional basics while being encouraging every step of the way and simultaneously maintaining a focus on the Lord. From Emily’s perspective, it’s never been about her achieving a fit body for herself but instead about the BIG plans the Lord has for her in the kingdom of God. The Lord has been gracious to allow her fitness to matter for that purpose and there is blessing in His grace for all of us.
