Lightworkers and the Unrelenting Voice

“To the unrelenting voice in my head that will never allow me to stop.”

These are the first words you will read in the dedication of retired Navy Seal and ultramarathon runner David Goggins’ best-selling self-published memoir, “Can’t Hurt Me”. In certain circles, Goggins has earned the reputation of being the toughest man on the planet. The only person in military history to have gone through Special Forces training for the Air Force, the Navy, and the Army, a man who literally runs 24 hour races in extreme weather conditions for over 100 miles at a time,  and a one time Guinness World Record Holder for pull ups—having done 4,030 pull ups in 17 hours—no one can ever accuse Goggins of not knowing what it means to to put in work. He is the poster person for giving life his all and putting in maximum effort to accomplish his goals.

Recently, I made the decision to introduce my congregation to Goggins. When the thought first came to me, numerous excuses entered into my mind, telling me all of the reasons why this would not be a good idea. If you’ve ever listened to Goggins or read his book, then I’m sure you might get why, on the surface, he might not seem like an ideal example for a Sunday service. But if you dig deeper, you can totally see why, I made the choice to go forward with it.

In the video below, I get into some of those reasons why I think Goggins was a good example of what I what I was trying to articulate–that every single one of us has what is required to shine in this world. What I don’t get into is the fact that I felt like if I held this example back, I would have been a hypocrite. I would have been putting my light under a basket–the very thing that I encourage people not to do. I couldn’t do that. That Voice wouldn’t let me. So here’s the message. I hope you get something out of it.

To hear the Team Never Quit Podcast #3 that I referenced click the image below. But I should warn you that it is full of what people refer to as cuss words. So turn down the volume or wear headphones if you’re somewhere where someone might get offended. And if you yourself are someone who can’t listen to those kinds of words, skip it or I invite you to do some research on why people cuss. There’s actual science behind it. Yep. There have actually been scientific studies on the affects of cussing that explain things like why a person can lose their memory and even their language ability but still remember cuss words. But I digress. You don’t need my explanations. Just know I wouldn’t have posted it if I didn’t see some value in what he’s trying to articulate.

One thing I don’t talk about is my relationship with God. I don’t care what you believe in. But if you believe in nothing what’s the point in living? I believe God has given us all our own individual test. If the power of the brain can allow people to make split second decisions, then imagine what the brain can do with great focus and direction. Believing in something bigger than me has always kept me in the fight. We must do our part first before God will help out. For some of us our test on earth is very hard. It may feel like God is never going to help out. Trust me I know the feeling. It wasn’t until I retired from the military that I realized He was helping me the entire time.

David Goggins’ Facebook Page