When have you ever given everything to anything? When have you burned the ships, going all in with everything you have and know, for something you thought worthy of the effort? How did you feel when you moved past risk and fear and realized you were destined to hit immovable walls?

These profound questions span the undivided dimensions of our personhood – mind, body, and soul.

I think it’s natural to say to ourselves and others that we have “given everything we can” to a project or an opportunity when we actually mean that we tried hard and really wanted it to all work out. “Giving everything to something” is rare. That reality hit me as I listened to the most recent guest on The BeatiDudes podcast, Johnny Kuplack, share the details of his journey.

Johnny is on a mission. He is running across America on a pilgrimage, completing 35 miles daily for 100 consecutive days. Today is day 87.

While working in various schools and institutions, Johnny and his friend realized that modern masculinity was reaching a crisis point. During that same period of his life, Johnny entered a 50-mile race, finished in first place, and then shared the details with his students. These young men hung on every word as Johnny described the race, and he could see that they longed for adventure, heroism, and dominion. That is when Johnny decided to enter his first 100-mile race.

Johnny started that race strong and had a comfortable lead when his body began to shut down. His run became a jog, then a walk, and then he collapsed. His entire life, he thought that walls were reserved for weak people, and here he was, unable to move.

He contemplated death as he lay next to the road in the middle of the night, shivering in the cold desert air. He also reflected on life and the need for support and brotherhood to pull you through the hard times. He then considered God the Father and our need for a savior because we simply cannot do this alone.

In the complete shutdown of his body, Johnny finally understood the truth in his heart. He had to be physically broken to break down the walls between his mind, body, and soul. That race changed everything for Johnny, who later co-founded a nonprofit men’s ministry called Sebaste. Through this movement, young men are mentored in the heart of the New Mexico desert, where they encounter challenge, silence, and transformative exposure. To help raise awareness for the mission of Sebaste, Johnny is running across America (3500 miles), and his journey will conclude at the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York.

Check out Johnny’s story and then ask yourself, when have you ever given everything to anything?

I have given everything a few times in my life… When I started the CARPOOL program to reduce drunk driving at Texas A&M University, I can say that I put it all on the line, without reservation or a backup plan. I did the same thing when I ran for student body president the next year - and I lost. Those experiences helped condition my entire being so that I could go “all in” with everything I know and all that I have.

Since then, I have given everything on many more occasions, but the ones that stand out the most include
• Dating Amanda long-distance for years and giving my everything to her as a build-up to our sacramental marriage and big family life.
• Dedicating every day to God in gratitude and firm resolve to keep rightly ordered priorities – God before spouse, spouse before kids, kids before all else
• Leaving the comforts of the energy company I co-founded to follow God's calling to launch Undivided Life.

If you can’t think of a time when you ever gave everything to anything, perhaps this Holy Week leading up to Easter can serve as your wake-up call. What if you sold out completely for something difficult and meaningful? What if you pushed yourself into the uncomfortable unknown, knowing that you’d likely hit a wall and need the help of something outside of yourself?

As for me, I continue my path, ALL FORWARD for faith, family, and for the calling on my heart to form others through work.

Click below to watch Johnny Kuplack on The BeatiDudes