FINDING RE2PITE
WHEN FAITH & FITNESS MEET GRACE IN SUFFERING
Jimmy Peña is a best-selling author and has been a leading voice in the fitness industry for decades. With his name on both the NYTimes list and atop the masthead of the most popular fitness magazine in history, Jimmy Peña had peaked. But one problem...wrong mountain.
Following a debilitating illness, invisible chronic pain, and a deep reflection of his own failures, Jimmy descended into a whirlpool of grace and suffering that left delusions of strength bobbing in its wake. He began serving in the special needs and disability department at his church where he met a young man impacted by autism named Jordan. Jimmy was never the same. He quickly realized that a fitness lifestyle has nothing to do with intensity, but has everything to do with intent.
“Peña gets it. As important as my health has been to my life and career, I’m also realizing how fragile we are. Sometimes I feel like my body is betraying me, but FINDING RE2PITE helps me see God’s plan in it all and helps me want to serve others with my body (and my breakdowns) more than ever.”
- Mario Lopez, Actor and Host of Access Hollywood.
What sets Peña apart from other fitness professionals is his clear grasp of his weaknesses and smallness. He cradles his frailty like a gem to be cherished. “When we embrace our smallness, we applaud God” says Peña. “For the believer in the fitness industry, suffering has the potential to break us, shape us and send us on unprecedented journeys.”
In FINDING RE2PITE, Peña shares his experience with the disorienting nature of pain and how it has deepened his relationship with God. As a diary and collection of short essays, FINDING RE2PITE is an oasis for those struggling with invisible illness, disease or debilitating ailments. It’s an inspiration for how (and where) to find strength and purpose in the midst of suffering.
Despite his many accomplishments, Peña remains humble and grounded in his faith. He believes that any measure of health is a gift that should be used to serve others and please God. Whether he’s writing books or speaking at conferences, Peña’s ultimate goal is to help others see health and illness through the Gospel’s lens. “FINDING RE2PITE” is a powerful testament to his commitment to this mission, and it is sure to inspire and encourage readers to navigate both wellness and suffering with an uncommon poise.
Embrace Your smallness
“Suffering will drive you to God like nothing else. else. No amount of good health will drop you like real pain. Fitness isn't tough enough to make you do that. You need something stronger. I shook hands with pain and illness met the real me. Nice to meet you, Jimmy. You're smaller than you look. Weaker than you can imagine. Those are some of your best traits.
So, it's time to live. Time to die. Suck it up. Suffering is the friend that introduces a man to himself the reality that looks you up and down, spits and grins, and then teaches you why you have your next breath. It's my diminishing capacity - not my progress - that allows me to see who I really am..”
