David Taylor Gonzales

It’s easy for many of us to envision God as the archetypal angry and distant father. Seeing Him as loving, present, sincerely interested in us, seeing Him as a friend even, has always been harder for me to conceptualize. I remember the first time a mentor told me, “God is crazy about you.” It sounded cheesy and frankly, too good to be true. Why would He concern Himself with me?

The author of the universe made my legs. The one who made the mountains and canyons also created my love for writing and running. The artist who paints every fiery sunset into the Missouri sky also formed the wrinkles in my brow and the curls of my hair. The God of infinite wisdom cares deeply about the universe in all its depth, and the minute details of the earth: the sands of the Sahara Desert, the salt of the sea, every pine needle.

Over the last two years I’ve spent a lot of time sharing my story of physical fitness with different people in my life but I haven’t spent nearly as much time thinking through or discussing my relationship with God and how it has coincided with this health journey I’ve been on. When my wife and I were pregnant with our first baby, a girl, I gained a lot of sympathy weight. I ballooned up to 230 pounds, the heaviest of my life. I ate poorly, I was addicted to sugar. I drank 3 Dr. Pepper’s a day and I frequently said, “no” when my wife would ask if I wanted to walk the dog with her.

I looked in the mirror and analyzed myself honestly in April 2023. I knew something wasn’t right. I didn’t recognize myself. My face had no definition, my chest was puffy and my gut overhung, causing my boxer lining to fold over. I looked terrible. And the truth was, I felt terrible too. I had sleep apnea and any physical activity resulted in severe soreness the day after. My resting heart rate was in the low 70s. I had low energy, low testosterone. My body was symbolic of where I was spiritually: bloated, gluttonous, lazy.

I chose to make a change. But unlike some of the audacious goals I had set and failed in the past, I decided to start with something achievable, and small. “I want to run 3 miles on the treadmill.” I hadn’t run 3 miles since high school. I bought a cheap Planet Fitness membership and started training. I didn’t know what I was doing first, I hadn’t stepped foot in a gym in almost 10 years. But I kept showing up, even in those early days when I had no motivation to do so.

Then, something funny happened. I suddenly felt the impulse to open my Bible. I started reading the gospels again, reacquainting myself with Jesus, re-reading old stories with fresh eyes. It felt like I was finding my faith again. I had been spiritually stagnant for so long. Not long after buying my membership I ran 3 miles on that treadmill. Then 4. Then 5. Then, in October, my buddy Jason called me and challenged me to run outside. We met up in Kansas City and ran 8 miles together. I felt rejuvenated, it was as if going to the gym was the kick start my heart needed to start beating again.

In 2023 Lane and I became parents and I fell in love with my daughter as only a new father can. A new kind of thankfulness awoke from within me. I started thanking God for the people in my life more consistently. I became aware of how much of my life and all the blessings in it had nothing to do with me. God was the beginning and end of my days. I started praying for people more often. I was going to the gym 3-4 days per week and even started leading Bible studies and sharing my testimony for the first time in years.

Now, I’m training for this marathon and I know a lot of people are probably sick of hearing about it. But the truth is, regardless of how race day goes in November, I’ve proven something to myself just by training and showing up for the last two years: I’m capable of far more than I ever imagined. The idea that I would ever have an interest, much less the ability, to run a half marathon, or run 30 miles in a single week, would’ve seemed preposterous on its face three years ago. But when I look back on who I was and who I am becoming, it’s clear that God’s fingerprints are everywhere.

God was walking with me through every high and every low. He’s the author of my story, the one who initiated all this change and the one who guides my steps every day. So when people ask, “why did you make change?” it’s a difficult question to answer. Was it becoming a father? Maybe, but that doesn’t explain why didn’t I change when we found out we were pregnant in 2022. Was it a newfound sense of purpose? No, I had loved my work and career for years at that point. Maybe the shortest answer is this: I didn’t change at all. God changed me. God is still changing me. He wanted me to start walking in the truth of who He made me to be. And now, I’m not just walking in that truth, I’m running towards it.

Keep Going!