Move On To Dessert

I’m not the most consistent guy in the world, but I have learned that I can stick with things long enough to matter.

In my younger days of naïveté, I would start things and attempt to stick with them. Diets, exercise routines, savings plans, read through the Bible, you name it. My timeframe for these self improvement projects was start today and continue forever. That didn’t fair too well. Somewhere at about day 4 something would come up and I discovered that staying on the horse is easier than getting back on. And staying on is never easy.

A wiser and more mature me has learned that nothing is forever except eternity, so why start off with that as your goal? Make a goal, blast it out in short bursts and be done. Par example, in March I started Myfitnesspal. My goal was to lose 15 lbs. I worked the plan with religious fervor for just over 3 months and dropped the weight. Now I’m off. At some point I will jump back on and attack the next 7-8 lbs, but for now I’m good.

A couple of years ago I was going through a rough patch and I knew that only God could get me through it. My goal was to be well. I committed the start of each day to prayer and reading the Bible. I did this for 228 days in a row. It completely slipped my mind on day 229, but at that point, God had done His work in me. I should still maintain this same routine and I will get back to it, but right now I’m not every day regular.

We can do most anything if we know it’s not forever.

Live like a miser just long enough to get the debt paid off.

Eat like a skinny vegetarian just long enough to get into your skinny jeans.

Seek reconcilation with someone just long enough for them to forgive you.

I’ve also learned that the hard times in our life last just for a season. Different things may arise, but each particular trial is a season, not forever. With God’s help, we can outlast them, too. And the important Truth to remember is that we don’t even have to take on the whole season all at once. Just today. God’s grace is sufficient for today. If we are blessed with tomorrow, we can deal with it again then.

Handling problems and achieving goals are both like eating an elephant. The best way to do it is one bite at a time.

And eventually you’ll be done and can move on to dessert.