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Living for the Legacy: A Journey Toward True Wellness

Living for the Legacy: A Journey Toward True Wellness

We weren’t created just to get through life. We were made to live it with intention. Each day is a chance to build something bigger than ourselves, to pour into the people around us, and to shape a future that outlives us. When we live with purpose, we stop chasing temporary comfort and start investing in lasting impact. Our choices today become the foundation our children and their children will stand on.

Living for something greater than ourselves doesn’t just change our lives. It changes generations.

My father’s life and ultimately his death changed everything for me. He died as a result of health issues that built up over years of poor habits, choices, and stress, leading him to take his own life when he gave up. His left this earth when I was only 3 years old, and with that, I lost a father, a teacher, a protector. I carry that grief with me every day, but it’s not just grief. It’s fuel.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you…? Therefore honor God with your bodies.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

It wasn’t just my father who passed away during my youth. My grandfather didn’t live long enough to see the legacy he helped start grow. Most of my aunts, my uncle, and even my grandmother passed too soon, nearly all due to health-related issues (mental and physical). I often wonder what it would be like to call them up for advice, to hear their laughter, to soak up their stories, for them to be in the life of my children.

I wish the generations before me had known what I’m learning now. But their absence has become my awakening. They lived to survive. They didn’t live for the future because they didn’t know how much their daily choices could shape it. Good health wasn’t a priority. Good health wasn’t something they were taught to value or had the resources to fully understand. Their legacies were cut short not because they didn’t love us, but because they didn’t know how deeply their lifestyle would impact their destiny. And in many ways, that shortened the legacy they could have left behind.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28

For over half of my life I wasn’t living healthy either. I didn’t know how. I didn’t understand the cost. I carried stress, ignored my body, and put everyone else first until one day I realized I was heading down the same road.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10

I had to make a choice. Not just to eat better or move more, but to change how I live completely. Wellness to me isn’t just nutrition or fitness. It’s mental, emotional, spiritual. It’s a daily practice of honoring the life God gave me.

What finally shifted everything? The next generation. I want to be here, not just physically, but fully. I want to live long and strong, to inspire, guide, and walk with the children we brought into this world. To break the cycle. To role model for them and their children how to live well from head to toe. I’m working to change the trajectory, not just for me but for them and for the generations that come after them.

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” – Proverbs 22:6

I wish the generations before me had known what I’m learning now. But their absence has become my awakening. God has carried me through this transformation, giving me not only strength but a fire, a calling to live with purpose. To take care of this body, this mind, this heart. And to help others do the same, especially my children.

My story is still being written. But it’s already different than the ones before me, and that’s the legacy I pray to pass down.

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou

The Goodness of God Restores Us

ELEVATING PEOPLE THROUGH TRUTH

New Beginnings

A cross stands against a sunrise sky, symbolizing hope and new beginnings. In the Bible, the number 8 represents a new beginning, often linked to a brighter future and a new life . This symbolism continues to give me hope as I reflect on 2017 (8 years ago), when I decided to end the struggle with my weight and poor health. In 2017, I had gained 53.2 pounds over a period of 5-years —a physical burden that mirrored the emotional and spiritual heaviness I felt.

Losing Myself: Weight Gain and Hashimoto’s

Several years ago, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that wreaked havoc on my body. The condition sapped my energy and caused classic thyroid-related symptoms like constant fatigue and weight gain . Over several years, pound after pound crept on despite my efforts, totaling 53.2 extra pounds through 2017. 2017 marked the year I awakened to a new beginning.

A Story of a Rapid Ride from 2012-2017

As a dedicated runner, I found myself sidelined—unable to keep up the miles that used to bring me joy. Losing the ability to run in 2012, I felt like I was losing a core part of my identity, and I struggled with a sense of grief and confusion over who I was becoming.

A Transformation Journey Begins

Eventually, I reached a turning point. Tired of feeling trapped in a body and life that didn’t feel like “me,” I resolved to make a change. I initially focused on external goals: eat better, exercise more, lose the weight, and become a runner again. This journey started as a personal mission to reclaim the healthier, fitter self I once was.

But as I began making changes, something deeper started to happen. In the quiet moments of prayer and reflection, I sensed God drawing my attention not just to my physical state, but to my heart. I gradually realized that the true transformation I needed was inside-out. My worth was never meant to come from the number on a scale or the titles I carried (even meaningful ones to me like “runner”). I discovered that the most important identity I have is the one given by God Himself.

Identity in God: Changing Everything

Embracing my identity in God changed every aspect of my life. When I started seeing myself through His eyes and not through the lens of my illness or former hobbies, a ripple effect of positive change followed. It wasn’t just about weight or running anymore—it was about who I am in Christ, and that changed how I approached everything:

• Self-Love: Instead of beating myself up, I learned to love myself as God loves me, recognizing that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

• Marriage: With my identity secure in God’s love, I became a more loving and caring spouse, bringing more kindness and understanding into my marriage

• Parenting: I began to parent from a place of faith and grace, modeling resilience and hope to my children and teaching them to find their identity in God too.

• Work: I started viewing my work as part of my calling. I approached my job with integrity and purpose, working “as unto the Lord” and finding new meaning in everyday tasks.

• Health: I learned to treat my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Eating well and staying active became acts of stewardship and worship rather than just tactics to lose weight, making healthy habits easier to maintain.

Other People’s Forgiveness

As we walk the path of redemption and renewal, it’s also time to reflect on the relationships in our lives—the ones that endured our struggles and the ones that could not withstand who we once were. I’ve learned that not everyone will embrace the person I am becoming, and that’s okay. Some people preferred the version of me that was unhealthy, lost, and living selfishly. Others longed for the version of me before I fell into that darkness, unable to forgive the years I spent wandering. Even though I had been redeemed and transformed, they continued to treat me as if I was still that same broken person, unwilling to see the work God had done in me. But even in that, I’ve had to accept that their forgiveness for my behaviors when I was a wanderer is not my responsibility. The only forgiveness that truly matters is God’s, and the only people I want in my life now are those who believe that if His GEACE is enough to forgive, then they too should choose GRACE. I mourn one specific relationship that was lost, but I stand firm in the promise of Joel 2:25—that God will restore the years that have been taken. I trust that, in His perfect time, reconciliation will come, just as He has already begun to restore so much of what was broken.

Consistency, Trust, and Restoration

A silhouette runs along the shore at sunrise, symbolizing a return of health and passion. Once I put God at the center, I learned the value of consistency and trust. Instead of chasing quick fixes or getting discouraged by slow progress, I committed to steady, faithful habits—daily prayer, better food choices, regular gentle exercise, surrounding myself with a like-minded community—and trusted God with the results. In time, those 53.2 pounds began to come off, and my strength and energy started to return. More importantly, God was restoring things I thought were gone forever: my confidence, my joy, and yes, even my love for a different flavor of exercise. Running now done with a grateful heart, not as a measure of my worth, became a distant memory. I embraced my new form of exercise and went all in!

I experienced the truth of Joel 2:25, where God promises, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten” . He truly redeemed those lost years of decline by not only improving my health, but also deepening my faith and healing the inner wounds that had accumulated.

Encouragement for True Transformation

My journey taught me that real transformation is about so much more than a number on the scale or achieving a personal goal. It’s about a heart changed by God’s love and a life redefined by His truth. If you’re facing setbacks or feeling like you’ve lost yourself, I encourage you to seek your identity in God above all else. He is the God of new beginnings, and in Him you can become a new creation with a hope and purpose that transcend any circumstance. When you know who you are in God, it changes everything—and that change will overflow into every area of your life, bringing restoration and true transformation.