One Small Step
I was never an athletic teen. In my early 20s, I began to fluctuate a few pounds here and there, and I would wake up one day, decide to go to the gym, and crank out every single muscle group possible over the span of several hours. I’d be so miserable the next day that it would take almost a week to recover. So much for that new gym habit!
I’m sure many of us can relate with the gym analogy. We do that once or twice and realize it’s better to take smaller, more manageable steps. Even if you haven’t mastered the perfect habit of working out consistently, you at least gain the wisdom that trying to change everything overnight simply doesn’t work.
It’s the same with our walk with God, of course. I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely tried to go all-in on with new Bible habit on a January or two, only to find myself overwhelmed and falling short less than a week in. But many people make their way through the entire Bible in one year. How? If you divide it up by 365 days, it only takes about 15-20 minutes every day to complete this task. Tremendous changes are more often than not accomplished by small changes to daily routines.
I have found with time in trying to make it through the Bible in a year, I’m always going to accidentally miss a day here or there—but the key is to pick it right back up and keep going as soon as possible! Once again, it’s what we’re doing most of the time that creates lasting change. Our habits create well-worn paths, leading us to the future version of ourselves. We’re all going somewhere. Do you like the direction you’re heading?
If you don’t—willpower alone isn’t going to get you there—especially if you’re trying to make huge changes at once. Why?
In his book The Power to Change, Craig Groeschel explains why relying on willpower alone doesn’t usually work. He shares a study where participants walked into a room filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies. Some were allowed to eat the cookies, while others were told they could only eat radishes sitting on the table beside them. Afterward, everyone was given a difficult puzzle to solve. The cookie group worked nearly 19 minutes before giving up, but those who had resisted the cookies quit after just 8 minutes. Resisting temptation had already drained their mental energy, revealing that willpower is limited, and we can’t depend on it alone for lasting change.
We are so limited as humans. There are only so many hours in the day, and we only have so much energy to spend! But small, consistent changes have the power to turn a ship around with time!
Like planting a garden, anything we want to grow requires consistent tending to. It doesn’t take much each day, but a tender shoot will die in the hot summer heat without proper watering or care.
As Christians, we have the responsibility to leave our old lives behind and follow Jesus, allowing him to transform our lives. He lovingly leads us, one step at a time. As we mature, our habits change, we grow in our walk with Jesus, and we begin to see fruit as a result! This requires daily, patient endurance—which like a marathon—is done best when we pace ourselves and take one step at a time.
“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
James 1:12 NLT
What direction is your life heading? Are you happy with it? What’s one small habit you can incorporate to change the direction of your life? Take a few minutes this week and ask Jesus to lead you in which step to take next as you follow His lead in your life!
