Tag: Routine

Thank you!

This morning I woke up at a decent time after sleeping through the night. My house has power. I had coffee to brew. I have running water. And I had 1/2 and 1/2 for my coffee! I often forget to appreciate these little things that have become so a part of my routine – I expect them to be there when I want them. Whatever would I have done if I lived 100 years ago? A lot more than I have to do today! I would be collecting the wood for the fire, drawing water from the well, and milking the cow for the cream in my coffee. Those activities are all blessings, too, they just aren’t a part of my day. But a good chunk of my day has been freed up by not doing those things, so what am I doing instead?

Heavenly Father,

It is so easy for me to get carried away by the tasks and responsibilities of this life and simply forget to thank you for the new day and the new possibilities that are a part of it.

Help me to notice all of your provisions today and give you thanks for them. Help me to use my time wisely!

Amen.

Routine…

cropped cross s

Predictable…Consistent….Reliable….

It’s the New Year and as I evaluate where I have been and where I am going I feel like I could use some more routine in my life. I seem to go in spurts of focus and that takes a toll on my consistency. Of course, we just came off of a wild year so I am craving a little predictability, I suppose. I don’t do a load of laundry every day to keep up with it. I typically do a day of laundry so I can focus on it. [Really, who am I kidding? Don usually does the laundry now…] But when I was doing laundry I tried to get it all done in a day because it was easier to focus on getting it all done in one day instead of a little every day.

I don’t know how this idea of routine will work for me. And I surely won’t do this in every area of my life but I will in two areas for sure and one of them is PrayerPoints. I have weighed the pros and the cons of the 40 days of Lent posts against a weekly consistency for a couple of years. The truth is, I like focusing on it for 40 days and leaving it up to chance (and, consequently, minimal posting the rest of the year). With my mind very intentionally focused for those 40 days, I feel like I could easily write 100 PrayerPoints because there are so many things that lead my mind down that path. But I don’t like that I don’t ponder quite as much (nor commit to paper as much) during the rest of the 325 days.

This year I will embark on a new routine! On Sunday or Monday of each week I will post a PrayerPoint. In the end, I am only committing to 52 PrayerPoints vs 40 PrayerPoints. it’s hardly an increase. But switching it up will switch up my routine. And I feel like that is something I need right now. It will help me to practice being consistent.

As you think about the routines in your life you certainly will find some that should stay, some that should be eliminated, and some that should be initiated. I challenge you to think about one area you plan to be intentional about this year and whisper it to someone you trust. Let them cheer you on and help you dust off the dirt if you fall. Sharing your journey–the good and the bad–the encouragement and the disappointment–is one of the blessings on being here on this Earth at the exact same moment as the others in your life! Then set about charting your course for success by making a plan. Allow yourself for some grace and take it one step at a time!

And when you are ready to make your whisper a shout, I would love to know what you are working on this year!