The phrase means to want something so passionately that you are willing to suffer to achieve your goals. It may mean that you literally bleed because of your effort, but it can also be used metaphorically to emphasize your commitment to making your dreams come true.

My question is, “What are you willing to bleed for?”

What do you want to see so badly in your life that you are willing to push yourself through discomfort to the point of pain to make it happen?

In the book of Hebrews, the writer says, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:4 – NIV 2011) His point of comparison is Jesus on the cross. For the joy set before Jesus, he endured the cross (literally shedding his blood) to finish the work God set before him. We are to consider his commitment and imitate it in our lives. He then draws this idea in conclusion, “If you want to achieve all that God wants in your life, it will require you to bleed for it.” Then, “In your struggle as a Christian, you have not gone that far yet.”

The writer encourages his readers to want to become like Jesus so much that they are willing to bleed for it. That means we will endure hardships, opposition, and pain to become all that God desires for us.

As a follower of Jesus, we seldom have easy choices and a painless journey. Jesus’ example is that to complete God’s work in our lives, we have to be willing to bleed for it.