When follow-through is a struggle…And announcing a new project!
PC: Evan Lites
Steadfast: A word meaning to endure patiently.
A steadfast person is one who is reliable, faithful, and true to the end.
I have felt anything but steadfast lately. Since the hurricane that disrupted our lives last October my thoughts have felt jumbled and my body has felt sluggish. I have also been quite lazy about fixing any of it. After all, the holidays were coming. How is that a good time to start any kind of routine unless, of course, it involves eating? But that is a whole other topic in itself!
Starting out this new year with a good dose of routine is just what I need. There is something about having a plan and developing consistency that gives me a sense of accomplishment. A brand new, well-thought out schedule brings me such joy! It looks so pretty on the paper and each task seems to fit beautifully in between the lines.
If only life fit inside those beautifully crafted lines. Come to find out, I am not the only one in my universe! So as much as I plan, organize, and implement, derailing seems inevitable.
This is where God comes in. Well, actually, God is always “in” I just forget to let him run the show a lot of the time. Thankfully, He is happy to remind me now and then. He brought 2 Peter 1 to my attention last week. This is SUCH a power packed little chapter!
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…
It is terribly easy for me to get so focused on one very small piece of the puzzle. I struggle with follow-through and often look for new gadgets or tools that I am convinced are the answer to my inconsistent tendencies. But HE has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness! Why do I keep looking for new solutions when he is right in front of me and has equipped me with everything I need?
He has granted to us his precious and very great promises…
My view is so narrow, but His promises are great! As I spend all my time and energy on one tiny piece of my puzzle, like making sure my children graduate high school, He sees the entire completed picture of each of our lives. I want the kind of faith that rests in His knowledge of my future. It is not for me to figure out. It is for me to trust and follow.
For this reason, make every effort to supplement your
faith with virtue,
and virtue with knowledge,
and knowledge with self-control,
and self-control with steadfastness,
and steadfastness with godliness,
and godliness with brotherly affection,
and brotherly affection with love.
Do you notice that it starts with faith and ends with love? I was blown away when I read this, and I’m pretty excited about this next part! God is nudging me to step out of where I am comfortable and work on my first “project”. I am going to attempt to unpack this little section right here. Discover the depth and application of what is being said. Each quality that God calls us to has a perfectly complimenting supplement. And in the same way that our physical bodies sometimes require supplements to be at maximum performance, so do our spiritual bodies.
Supplements for our soul.
I am going to put together “24 Daily Supplements for Your Soul”, spending 3 days on each of the 8 attributes listed. I don’t have a completion date yet but let me know if you are interested. I am excited to dig in and learn what God has tucked into these three little verses, but I also need the accountability to follow through with this little project. So as I try to apply some real-life-steadfastness, just knowing you are waiting helps me do that. Thank you to my small, but ever so important audience. You are why I am here.