Our daily decisions and habits are more impactful than we give them credit for. Our habits can lead us closer to the Lord or farther from the Lord. As a personal trainer I see how habits can make our bodies healthier or sicker. Stronger or weaker.

From the moment we wake up we have habits that become patterns.

Maybe we wake up and immediately grab our phones to scroll or maybe instead we grab our Bible and spend time with the Lord.

Maybe we grab a coffee and sit on the patio or maybe you wake up in a rush and grab a granola bar on your way out the door with no seconds to spare.

Maybe at lunch you always have a piece of fruit and a large water or you are too slammed most days and you forget lunch all together.

By dinner time, you have a meal prepped and ready to eat at home or you grab something on the way home so you do not have to cook.

Before bed, you might sit in front of the TV and binge watch your favorite new Netflix show or you go spend time with a friend / give them a call to catch up.

Once we settle into our habits they are hard to change. We get comfortable and we do them without a second thought. However in order to grow we must get uncomfortable. And there is always room to grow.

Let me share some of my habits in 2019. A little back story— I was a freshman in college, a cheerleader being filmed for a Netflix show and living far from home, family and close friends.

I woke up every morning with no time to spare but to grab my backpack and head out the door. I stumbled into class, tired and without breakfast. After class I would grab a small snack and an energy drink and then head to practice. At practice I was trying to hide from the cameras on us because I was just constantly thinking about how I didn’t like how my body would look on the other side of that camera. After practice the team would go to lunch where I would get a small meal and compare my meal to the other girls on the team. I would then go back to my dorm to eat more food in secret because I did not want anyone to see. I would do some homework, then head to the gym to do as much cardio as my body would allow. I would rush back to my dorm and I would get ready for our game we had to cheer for that night. I prettied myself up, trying to feel more confident, I put on a ton of makeup and tried to do the perfect curls. After the game, I would hide again in my dorm and scarf down food before heading to bed, defeated and worn out.

These habits later led to an eating disorder, rock bottom confidence, and being burnt out. They led to a bad relationship with food and exercise. These bad habits led to an autoimmune disorder and health scares. These habits were leading me in the opposite direction of the Lord. I was farther from the Lord than I ever had been.

So what changed? My habits changed. It is not an easy thing to do. Many studies suggest it takes an average of 66 times of doing something to create a habit. 66?! Sometimes maybe even more! That is a lot of work, but WOW is it worth it.

Now I wake up and get to move my body in a healthy way at the gym. I have slow mornings with my daughter where we get to eat a good, healthy breakfast together, read books and just be present. I spend time with the Lord and listen to worship music throughout the day. I connect with Godly friends DAILY and have intentional conversations. I get to make lunch and dinners with whole foods that make me feel amazing after. I spend time with my husband before bed where we eat dessert, pray and just hang out together catching up from the day and chat through highlights from ours and our daughter’s day.

It took a lot to get here. Looking back I cannot take any credit. It took a lot of daily surrendering to the Lord and taking small steps forward. The Lord and His convictions brought me here. A community of believers and being vulnerable to them brought me here.

The daily decision to change my habits changed everything. Small healthy habits compounding over time create the healthy patterns that last.

Start small. Commit to the habits that bring you closer to the Lord. Obey the Lord and what He calls you to do and how He calls you to do it.

Every habit should be pointing you to Jesus. Bringing us closer to Him and following what He has called us to do.

He calls us to treat our bodies well (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Corinthians 10:31)

He calls us to be in His Word (Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16)

He calls us to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Colossians 4:2, Mark 1:35)

He calls us to be with community (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Colossians 3:12-16)

Start small. Pick ONE habit you want to either change or add into your day to start. Commit to stick with it – remember 66 TIMES to create a habit. Even if you mess up or miss a day of this new decision, give yourself grace and do better the next day. It is not going to be an overnight change but chose to be disciplined and rely on the Lord.

What is one habit you can add in TODAY that is going to bring you closer to Jesus?