The 4 Biggest Mistakes People Make During the Virtual Jesus Challenge

Key Takeaways 

• Spiritual growth takes time. Don’t expect instant transformation through the virtual Jesus challenge. God loves working through small, “invisible” steps. 

• Be fully present. Avoid multitasking so you can focus on spending intentional time with Jesus. 

• Don’t quit after missing a day. One missed walk doesn’t erase your progress. Neither do 5. Just put on those shoes and keep going. 

• Your journey is special and unique. Resist comparing your experience to others and trust that God is working in your life in the way He deems BEST. 

• Faithfulness trumps perfection. The goal of the Jesus virtual challenge is to consistently grow closer to God, through all the messy flaws and challenges. He (and we) don’t expect perfection. 

At some point during the virtual Jesus challenge, almost everyone starts wondering, “Am I doing this right…??” 🫣

Maybe you missed a day and thought, “Well… there goes my streak.” Or your walks with Jesus feel ordinary compared to everyone else’s on the Facebook group and you wonder if you missed the memo somewhere. 

Friend, take a deep breath. You are not failing. 🫶

In fact, I’m pretty confident you’re just hitting the same roadblocks everyone faces at some point in this virtual Christian walking challenge. And they actually don’t mean all that you fear they mean. 

So let’s talk about the four biggest mistakes people make during the virtual Jesus challenge and how to shift your mindset to keep crushing it. 

Let’s bust through them. 👇

1. Expecting Instant Transformation in the Virtual Jesus Challenge 

We all love a good before-and-after story. Those physical transformations on Instagram, the testimonies, the tear-jerking success stories. 🥹

I think we can bring that same expectation into the virtual Jesus challenge. 

“I’ve been doing this for a whole week! Why don’t I feel different? Shouldn’t I be more patient with the kids by now? More joyful about mowing that dreaded lawn?” 😩

Can I encourage you with something? 

Most of the beautiful, redeeming work God does in our hearts comes so gradually we don’t even notice it’s happening. 🌱

Very few lessons are learned in big, dramatic moments. But THOSE are the ones we remember most clearly, so we attach the most meaning to them. 

If you plant a seed, you don’t dig it up every morning to see if it’s grown overnight. You keep watering it, trusting that something is happening, even if you can’t see it. 

Every walk. Every day exposed to His Word. Every quiet conversation with God. They’re all seeds underground, being watered and growing. 

A beautiful garden needs time to grow! 🌷 So be gracious with yourself and let God work in His time. He’s been a Gardener and Seed-Grower far longer than we have. :) 

He’s a lot more interested in healthy roots than pretty overnight results that fade quickly. 🥀

2. Multitasking Through Your Time with Jesus 

Raise your hand if you’ve ever done this. 🙋 I know I have, and probably most of us have done this. No judgement here! 

Life is busy, and it’s so tempting to squeeze a little extra something into that 20 minutes. I mean, imagine the text responses you could knock out…! 😅

But before you know it, your body is physically “doing the Jesus challenge” but your mind is anywhere but there. 

And I know you don’t want to cram Jesus into the tiny cracks of your day. That’s not the goal of the virtual Jesus challenge either. 

👉 It’s to prioritize Him. 

👉👉 Over everything else. 

That’s why walking is one of the cornerstones of this challenge! You physically remove yourself from the noise, but also mentally. Emotionally. 

Of course your mind will wander sometimes, mine does too! 

And when that happens, don’t beat yourself up. Just bring yourself back to the feet of Jesus and settle in again.

Just like the challenge, it builds a habit of mental return, CHOOSING to set your mind on the Lord, not on the overwhelming amount of distractions. 🤲

3. Giving Up After Missing A Day of The Virtual Jesus Challenge 

I’d like to introduce the most dramatic member of this virtual Jesus challenge…

Our own brains. 🧠

You miss one day and suddenly it's, “Well, I guess I’m not finishing this anymore. I already messed up so badly, what’s the point?” 

Now imagine going on a walk and stopping for 30 seconds to tie your shoe. You don’t throw your hands up and say, “Well, I stopped moving, so I guess I’m gonna quit and head home.” 

You’d just straighten back up and keep walking, right? 😆

That’s exactly how the Jesus virtual challenge works. Everyone’s “shoes get untied” for various reasons – sickness, travel, sudden schedule changes, or just a straight up rough day. 

Don’t spend the day feeling guilty about it. God doesn’t lead us into guilt or shame. Instead of believing you’re a failure, I encourage you to take a few minutes and spend it with the Lord. 

The entire goal in this virtual Christian walking challenge is the journey. Not a perfect journey. Just whatever your journey looks like. If you stopped to tie your shoe and accidentally ended up on the ground, that’s ok! 

Just don’t quit. 

It’s not a failure if you keep choosing to spend time with Him, even when you’ve had to miss a day or several. Failure only happens if you give up. ⚠️

4. Comparing Your Journey in the Virtual Jesus Challenge to Someone Else’s 

Ah yes… good old comparison. 😞

The thief of joy, peace, and a perfectly good walk with Jesus. 

Maybe someone in the Facebook group shared this incredible breakthrough they had on their walk, and all you had was being eaten alive by mosquitoes. 

Or maybe it feels like your friends are hearing loud and clear from God but you can’t decipher a thing. 

I know it’s hard, friend. ♥️

But remember: you are on your OWN journey. Not theirs. 

And the crazy thing is that you’re not even in charge of your own journey. God is. He designed it, He goes before you, He leads you by the hand. You’re not in control. 👀

So if your current spot in life feels unfair or way off from those around you, be encouraged that your Shepherd knows exactly which green pastures and quiet waters to lead you in. They won’t always be the same as your friends’ or family’s. 🌊

So the next time you’re tempted to compare, run to your Shepherd. Take comfort in knowing you’re exactly where you need to be, because He’s leading you. And He’s not disoriented, confused, or lost in the slightest. You can trust Him, even if you feel stuck or behind. 

🚶 Some days your walks with Jesus will feel boring and ordinary. 

😢 Some walks you might cry the whole time. 

👂 Others you’ll hear Him speak. EEK! 

🐿️ Others you’ll spend the whole walk trying to keep your dog from chasing squirrels. 

You’re right where you need to be on every one of those walks. 

Your only job is to keep walking with Him. 🐑 

Not see how you measure up against other journeys. 

Not keep up with the journey you think is the coolest. 

Not try to rush. 

Keep Walking 

If you’ve made one (or all four!) of these mistakes… congratulations! Welcome to the club, you’re a normal human! 😁

The goal of the virtual Jesus challenge was never to complete forty flawless days. We don’t have time or capacity for that. 😅

You’ll accomplish the goal by learning to walk faithfully with Jesus one day at a time. Messily. Imperfect. Being a human. 

So if you’re already participating in the Jesus challenge, keep going! 💪

Lace up those shoes, grab those headphones, and hit the road. Whatever you do, go spend time with Jesus today. 

Don’t let these discouragements convince you the journey isn’t worth it. The richest growth often develops underground AS we continue showing up through the hard. 🌿

And if you’re still thinking about joining your first Jesus virtual challenge, I hope you do! We’d sure love to have you. :) You don’t have to do it perfectly, all it takes is one step. And then another. And then one more. Anyone can do it. 

Join the Virtual Jesus Challenge