Tag: Faith

The Greatest Joy of My Life: Gratitude Sunday and My Son

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Day 39 of the 7-40 Challenge
Sunday, February 8, 2026
Gratitude Sunday – The Thank You Campaign

Hello and welcome to Day 39. It’s Gratitude Sunday, and another post in my Thank You Campaign.

The topic of today’s post is my son.

The Dream

When my wife and I first got married, we dreamed about our future. We talked about the size of the family we would want. We made plans and looked forward with expectancy for when our children would arrive.

When we were younger, we dreamed of having a very large family—as many as God would give us. That’s what I used to like to say.

We were married when we were 20 years old. We weren’t quite ready to start having children right after getting married, so we waited around five years before we began planning for our children to arrive.

The Threat

It was about that same time that I had my first bout with testicular cancer.

To say that this was the opposite of what we wanted is a very true statement. Because of the part of the body that cancer attacks, and because of having to have that tumor removed, we were uncertain if we would be able to have children at all.

So we went from praying and hoping for a very large family to the very real possibility of just it being a family of two—just my wife and me.

By God’s grace and through His healing, I was cancer-free by the middle of 2005, with a new lease on life and hope that we would be able to, in time, have the children we had prayed for.

The Moment

Fast forward to the fall of 2007.

I remember very clearly lying in bed and seeing the bathroom light come on. And watching my bride stand there with that little indicator in her hand.

It was finally time. It was finally real.

We were going to have a baby.

It was almost five years after we had first started praying and almost ten years after we had gotten married. But our baby was on the way. And we were so excited.

The Birth

Fast forward to the day of his birth in 2008.

After a very long labor period—two and a half days—he was born. When he was delivered, he had an Apgar score of one. They were very concerned about him.

I wasn’t in the room when he was born due to complications. I didn’t find out about the Apgar score until they handed him over to me.

But within minutes, that score had improved to an eight.

Answered prayer. Confirmed relief.

And very soon, Mama, baby, and me were in our hospital room.

The Joy

I will never forget the look of joy and absolute elation on my darling wife’s face.

She had just been through two and a half days of labor, trying to have our son naturally. She had endured a lot of physical duress. She was exhausted. She was beat up.

And you would not have been able to see any of that at that moment. She was transfixed. She was in love.

I wish I had several photographs of that little moment in time to show the picture I have burned in my memory. (Thank God, the iPhone had been invented by then—I do have one.)

She had finally become who she was meant to be in one regard. She was my wife, and now she was our son’s mother.

And the world was right.

The Reality

Fast forward all these years.

The family we thought would be very large is just the three of us. We will still take whatever God gives. But at the same time, I can’t neglect to say: our son has been one of the greatest joys in our lives.

He is so smart and so funny. He is so kind and compassionate. He’s full of character and resolve. He is a perfect blend of his mother and me—and he’s becoming so much more than we are.

It has been such a privilege and a joy to watch him do that.

We tell him from time to time how grateful we are for him. How proud we are of him.

What He Changed

This young man changed my life in so many ways.

He has been one of the catalysts that brought out my work ethic in my late twenties and early thirties.

I remember holding him for the first time, not long after he was born, knowing I would work myself to the bone to provide for our family. That I would do whatever it took to make sure they are taken care of.

I think every parent goes to that moment—where you realize that no matter what it takes, you’ll do it to provide for your family and children. That translated into me getting much more focused on the opportunities I had in front of me in my data career, which I’ve had since before he was born.

And that determination has only intensified over the years.

I now look forward to getting to support him even more as he becomes an adult, as he finds the things he is even more passionate about.

Son

If you’re reading these words, know this:

Your mother and I are so proud of you. We’re so thankful for you. We are so grateful that you are our son.

Not a day goes by that I don’t feel that gratefulness in my heart.

It is one of the greatest joys of my life to be your daddy. I am proud of you and who you are.

Day 39: Complete ✓

All seven habits executed. Gratitude Sunday honored.

Round 1 Progress: 39/40 days (97.5%)

One more day until Round 1 is complete.

See you tomorrow for Day 40.

Do Not Grow Weary: Day 28 and the Setback That Won’t Stop Me

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Day 28 of the 7-40 Challenge
Wednesday, January 28, 2026

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up.”
— Galatians 6:9

Yesterday, I wrote about the rules that make excellence possible. I laid out my seven daily habits—the clear structure that is helping me become the husband, father, and professional I’m meant to be.

I know what I need to do. I’ve set the rules for myself. The system is working.

And then life threw me a curveball.

The Setback

A few days ago, during the winter storm, I fell. Hard. I landed on my right hand.

To say it’s bruised is an understatement.

I’ve been trying to push through. I modified my workouts. I adjusted my grip. I told myself it would get better if I just kept going.

Today, my chiropractor told me the truth: I need to lay off lifting weights for at least a week to give my hand a chance to heal.

And here’s the question I had to ask myself: Do I let this setback derail me, or do I keep moving forward?

Why Getting Fit Isn’t Optional

I’m 47 years old. Getting fit is a must because getting older is no joke. I don’t move like I used to.

This isn’t about vanity. This isn’t about looking good for summer. This is about being able to show up fully for my wife and son. This is about not being the guy who can’t play with his grandkids someday because he didn’t take care of himself now.

Time is precious. I can’t afford to waste it.

And that’s what makes this setback so frustrating. I know I need this. I know every day counts. And now my body is telling me to stop—temporarily, but still.

So what do I do?

The Wisdom of Having a Plan

Here’s what I’ve learned over 28 days: If we’re smart, we have a plan in place for setbacks because we know setbacks are coming.

That’s what setbacks do. They come.

In my 2026 Vision Doc, I wrote out a crisis management protocol:

  • Family crisis: Full priority override
  • Personal illness or injury: Keep all habits except exercise if rest needed
  • Everything else: Spit out the blood and keep going

Today falls into category two.

My hand needs to heal. My chiropractor gave me professional guidance. Ignoring that isn’t toughness—it’s stupidity.

So I’m resting today. No exercise. No weightlifting. No yoga. Just rest.

But here’s the key: I’m still doing everything else.

✓ Bible study
✓ Calorie tracking
✓ Water
✓ Reading (Talk Like TED is firing me up)
✓ Gratitude
✓ Creative work (writing this post)
✗ Exercise (resting today)

Six out of seven habits completed. The system holds.

Tomorrow: Back to Forward Momentum

Day 29, I’ll pick up with a full hour of walking or walking and yoga. No weights until my hand is healed and my chiropractor clears me.

The weightlifting will wait. The 13-week plan will adjust. The rules I set for myself yesterday? They’re still in place. I’m just applying wisdom to how I execute them.

Because the goal isn’t to prove I’m tough by ignoring my body. The goal is to become the best version of myself for my family—and that requires sustainable health, not reckless pushing through pain.

Do Not Grow Weary

Paul’s words in Galatians 6:9 keep echoing in my head today:

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up.”

The setback is frustrating. The pause is annoying. The lost week of lifting feels like wasted time.

But I’m not giving up.

I’m not growing weary.

Because I know the harvest is coming.

Twenty-eight days of consistent execution. Weight loss trending in the right direction. Novel revision progressing. Social media breakthrough in motion. Daily blog posts stacking up.

One week of modified exercise doesn’t erase 28 days of proof.

The rules are still in place. The system is still working. The mission is still clear.

I just have to be wise enough to know when to rest so I can keep going for the long haul.

What Do We Do When Setbacks Come?

We do what we planned to do.

We don’t panic. We don’t quit. We don’t let one obstacle derail the entire mission.

We adjust. We rest when needed. We keep moving forward with what we can do while we heal what we can’t.

And we remember: The harvest is coming if we do not give up.

Day 28 looks different than I wanted it to. But it’s not a failure. It’s wisdom in action.

Tomorrow, I walk. Next week, I lift again. The long game continues.

Do not grow weary of doing good.

The harvest is coming.

Day 28: Complete ✓

Six out of seven habits executed. Resting wisely to fight another day.

Round 1 Progress: 28/40 days (70%)

See you tomorrow for Day 29.

Thank You Campaign: The Mentor Who Saw What I Couldn’t See

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Today is Day 25 of the 7-40 Challenge—Sunday, January 25th, 2026. I’ve marked out every Sunday this year as my day to express gratitude for someone or something specific. I call it the Thank You Campaign.

I truly believe that gratitude—keeping a grateful heart—is one of the things that leads to personal happiness, fulfillment, and in many ways, success. I also think it’s something God wants from me: to be grateful. And I am so incredibly grateful for so many things.

Today’s topic is mentoring.

Why Mentoring Matters More Than Ever

Over the years, I’ve had some very good mentors—professionally, through books, and teachers I’d consider mentors. But that role of stepping alongside someone and helping them become more than they are is powerful and so very much needed in today’s world.

We get lost in the idea that technology will be able to do almost everything we do today. I think we forget that with the advances of technology, we have to become more human in our interactions if we truly want to be happy. This is nowhere more real than in being a mentor or having a mentor.

When I Didn’t Know My Own Potential

When I was a younger man, I did not know my own potential. I think that’s the case many of us find ourselves in.

I was a music major in college, and not long after meeting and marrying my wife, I realized music was no longer what I wanted to do. So I went to the counselor’s office and asked for “the quickest route to victory.” I know—stupid as that sounds. I went to a 4-year university and played either-or with my major. They gave me two options: sociology or journalism.

I should have chosen journalism. With my interest in writing, fact-finding, and working through details, that would have made great sense today. But I chose sociology. At that time, I was a youth pastor, and the idea of studying groups of people and understanding how they work together made sense. I thought it fit where I was in my life.

Not long after I had my degree in sociology, I was no longer a youth pastor. I had absolutely no idea professionally what I could or wanted to do.

The Wilderness Years

So I did what many people do—I took a series of odd jobs.

I worked as a salesman for the Thomas Kinkade Gallery. Not really my speed. Beautiful art, but I didn’t have much fun selling it.

I worked as an assistant manager at Pizza Hut, where I ate entirely too much pizza over six months. Not my dream job. A very thankless position. It makes me incredibly grateful now when restaurant service is stellar, because when people are hungry, man, they don’t treat you well. Did I see that firsthand.

I also spent time spraying yards at a grass company. That was horrendous in so many ways—not just the job itself, but some of the characters I worked with. I’ll talk about that some other time.

Then I worked as an office manager at an insurance claims firm. This is where I actually started paying attention to my skills and trying to get better at what I was doing.

Enter David

While at that job, I was attending a church in Northwest Oklahoma City. I told one of the pastors that I needed a mentor—I wanted a Christian businessman to come alongside me and help me see the things I wasn’t seeing, help me reframe where I was in my life.

Through this connection, I met a man named David.

David was a salesman—a very successful salesman. He was also a dedicated and devoted husband and a very good father. He was just generally a good dude.

He quickly took me under his wing. Met with me week over week. Did his best to show me what the stability of focusing on your current position and becoming excellent at it could do.

As I watched him, as we studied parts of the Bible together, as we talked about business and life, I started to grow more confident in myself. I started to understand that I had agency and the ability to choose how I reacted to my situations.

Did that make things automatically better? No, it didn’t.

But it gave me hope where I had previously been hopeless.

What His Belief Changed

I was so beat down. So desperate for change.

Having somebody take me seriously—somebody see that I could be more than I was—meant more to me than I can describe.

Not long after we began meeting together, I switched jobs into the career field I’m in now. David was one of the people who helped me see that I could actually do something new, that I could do more than I had expected, and that I had agency where I didn’t realize I did.

I’ve been in my current career more than 18 years now.

The Echo of Influence

I look in the mirror, and I no longer see that person I was back then. Much of it has faded away.

Every once in a while, though, I still see him in there. He still wonders if he’s good enough. He still wonders if he has what it takes to do these things well.

And I can remember David’s example—and many others—showing me that yes, I do have what it takes. Yes, I can make good choices. And yes, the work that I do matters.

Thank You, David

David, if you’re reading these words, know that I appreciate you, my friend. Even though we haven’t talked in quite some time, you hold a very special place in my heart and in the path I’ve been on and the person I am today.

Thank you for your influence. Thank you for your example.

I appreciate you.

Day 12: More Than Just Checking Boxes (Why This Challenge Is Emotional)

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

I’m in the Emotional chapter of “Made to Stick” this morning, and something caught my attention.

The Heath brothers tell a story about a soldier cook. He had retired, but when offered an opportunity to cook for soldiers in Iraq, he jumped at the post. When asked about his job, he didn’t say “I prepare food.” He said: “My job is morale.”

He understood something deeper than the task list. Yes, he cooked meals. But his real job was building the strength soldiers needed to keep fighting, to survive, to stay mentally sharp in war.

That hit me hard. Because the 7-40 Challenge can’t just be about checking boxes.

The Real Job

Bible study. Exercise. Reading. Water. Calories. Gratitude. Creative work.

Seven habits. Forty days. Repeated seven times.

On the surface, that’s what I’m doing. But here’s the truth: my job is to be living proof that change is possible.

I was made to help people. To make their lives better, easier, more purposeful. I feel that call deep inside me—the need to take care of people, to build them up, to show them what’s possible.

But I can’t do that and ignore myself.

I have to fill my cup so I can fill others.

Why This Is Emotional for Me

This isn’t self-improvement for self-improvement’s sake. If the goal were just about me, it would be much too small.

I’m doing this because:

My family needs me healthy and strong. Fewer illnesses means less stress on my wife. More energy means I can be active, do the home improvement projects we love, spend time doing whatever activities we choose. Better mood means better interactions with everyone around me.

My son needs to see this. Not hear about transformation someday—watch it happen in real time. So when life gets hard for him, he knows it’s possible to choose differently.

The 1,000 people I want to impact need proof. By clearly defining the transformation I’m undergoing and letting people watch it play out in real time, I’m demonstrating the courage they need to name their own transformation—which may be completely different than mine. But watching mine unfold might inspire them to face theirs.

The Ripple Effect

When I’m healthy, strong, and energized, my world improves. And everything my world touches improves.

My marriage gets stronger. My parenting gets more present. My work gets sharper. My ability to help others grows exponentially.

That’s not narcissism. That’s stewardship.

I can’t pour from an empty cup. And at times over the past twenty+ years, I’ve run on fumes, talking about “someday” while my cup stayed empty.

Not anymore.

Motivation and Movement

The soldier cook understood: his real job was giving soldiers the strength to keep fighting.

My real job? Giving people stuck in “someday” mode the courage to actually move. To break from routine’s gravity. To start now instead of waiting for perfect.

And I can only do that if I’m doing it myself.

Day 12. Twelve perfect days behind me. Not because I’m special, but because the mission is bigger than me.

Day 12 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (Workout B – back, biceps, legs) ✅ Reading (Made to Stick – Emotional chapter) ✅ Water ✅ Calories ✅ Gratitude ✅ Creative hour

The best time to fill your cup? Now. Not for yourself alone. For everyone who needs you at your best.

My job isn’t just the habits.

It’s to be living proof that change is possible.

See you tomorrow for Day 13.

Gratitude Sunday: My Mom and George Bailey

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

One of my favorite Christmas movies is It’s a Wonderful Life.

When I was younger, I liked it because an angel comes down and helps a guy get through a hard time. You get to see his whole story unfold and figure out who he really is. I didn’t see the deep significance as a young person watching this movie for the first time.

As I’ve gotten older, George Bailey’s story has become far too familiar.

I see it in life all around me. People—many wonderful people—don’t realize the good they do. They don’t understand how their influence has shaped the world around them far more than they know.

One person I can see this to be true about is my mother.

A Life of Selfless Love

My mother is one of the most selfless, wonderful people I have ever met or had the pleasure to know. She is kind and caring and deeply concerned with the well-being of others.

This flows from her relationship with God, which has been solid for as long as I can remember. She loves Jesus dearly. And because of that, she has consistently, over the years, shown people God’s love in countless ways.

I’ve seen her stop in the grocery store and share God with people or stop and pray with them just because she knew they needed it. I’ve seen her give of herself and run herself ragged to make sure that the people she served and the people she loved were taken care of.

But I’m going to tell this story from my perspective, from what I’ve seen in my own life.

Songs and Stories in the Early ’80s

My mother, in the early ’80s, started telling me stories about Jesus. She would sing songs and read the Bible with me. She was very involved in making sure that I knew that Jesus loved me—and also building me up to be a confident and strong young man.

She was consistent in her love.

I reminded her the other day that she’s the reason I know Jesus, just as she’s the reason many other people in this world know Jesus as well. She’s the reason people have found hope when they didn’t have any. She’s the reason people have found kindness when they most needed it.

She has been God’s love to people repeatedly throughout her life.

And just like George Bailey, I don’t think she understands just how far her influence has gone.

The Billy Graham Question

It makes me think.

If I asked you, “Do you know who Billy Graham is?” most of us—whether we are Christians or not—have heard the name. We know he was a very famous minister. We know that he touched countless lives with the love of God and with the message of God’s salvation.

But if I asked you, “What was the name of the man who introduced Billy Graham to Jesus?” I don’t think many of us would know who that is.

You never know the effect you have on someone’s life. You never know the influence. You never know the good that you do. You’ll never see the full picture.

But that shouldn’t stop you from doing good.

My Gratitude

So to say the least, I’m grateful for my mother.

I’m grateful for the way she’s loved me and taken care of me. Even though it’s been many, many years since I’ve lived in their home, she still loves me and prays for me to this day like I’m her baby boy.

Her influence on me has been outstanding.

And I can only imagine the influence she’s had on others—the people whose names I’ll never know, whose stories I’ll never hear, whose lives were changed because she stopped in a grocery store or prayed with someone who was hurting or sang songs about Jesus to a little boy in the early ’80s.

She’ll never know how far her influence has gone.

But I do know this: I wouldn’t be here without her. I wouldn’t know Jesus without her. I wouldn’t be attempting this 7-40 Challenge without the foundation she helped build in my life.

So thank you, Mom.

For being God’s love when I needed it most.

For never giving up on me.

For showing me what it looks like to live a life of purpose.

You’re far more influential than you know.

And I’m forever grateful.

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