Have you ever experienced the cycle of feeling strong mentally, physically, and/or spiritually only to find yourself in a slump for a period of time battling, what feels like a relentless uphill climb, to regain that strength you were feeling? I know I have. When I think of this cycle of strength, slump, then uphill battle to regain that strength, the first thing that comes to mind for me is physical health/fitness (big surprise, I know).
Being a fitness professional I’ve not only seen this in my own fitness journey but also in the lives of many others. When people ask me how to improve their health/fitness my advice is always very similar and it comes back to consistency. Many people can see drastic improvements in their health by making small changes consistently over a long period of time. Those changes can be different from person to person, but the fact remains the same, if you are consistent you will see results.
The key is making small sustainable changes. Many times people try to bite off more than they can chew and find themselves getting easily overwhelmed. They go from not exercising at all to going to the gym and crushing themselves every day. Or they go from eating whatever they want whenever they want to a strict fad diet where they eliminate entire food groups. This usually (almost always honestly) results in burnout and them giving up because the changes they have made are simply not sustainable.
The same can happen to us in our spiritual life. We can find ourselves struggling to experience spiritual growth. We look at the people around us who we think are doing well spiritually and think, “man I wish I could be as strong as they are”. The fact is, we all struggle in our own way and we are all striving toward the same goal. If you do know someone who is very strong spiritually I can guarantee you that they have not found any secret sauce that you don’t have access to yourself. My guess is that they have built a routine, over time, of sustainable practices that they do consistently. If you did think of someone when reading that, ask them… seriously.
Now, here is what separates people, consistency has nothing to do with how you feel. I will say that again, consistency has NOTHING to do with how you FEEL. We are all tired, we are all busy, we all have a thousand excuses, trust me. So now that we know the playing field is level, what separates those who experience regular spiritual strength from those that don’t? The answer is simple, making small sustainable changes that you can do consistently over a long period of time. So what do those changes look like? Great question.
First, locate your weaknesses. Again, when it comes to health and fitness this is something I have to do with my clients all the time. If there are many, pick one. Do you struggle to read your bible, pray, talk about your faith, serve others, or something else? Once you have located the area(s) in which you are weak, make a small sustainable change in that area. For instance, if you struggle with prayer, set a timer for a certain time of day when you know you will have some down time, or set an alarm to wake up 15 minutes earlier in the morning, and dedicate that time to prayer.
This may be tough at first but make no exceptions, carve out that time and don’t let yourself do anything else. Once you have done this consistently over a period of time (that length of time can vary for each person) you will notice that it gets easier to fit in time for prayer. Now rinse and repeat for other areas you struggle in. Or expand your prayer time as you become more comfortable and consistent. You will start to notice that changes that seemed hard at first are much more manageable. This happens when you get stronger. Things that seemed heavy in the past don’t seem so heavy any more. The next step is to set a new goal and look to achieve the next level in strength. Same with our spiritual life.
As you gain strength in your spiritual life you will also start to notice God moving you and challenging you in different ways. This can scare a lot of people, but don’t be scared, He has been preparing you. I know that there are certain clients I can’t push as hard as others. They haven’t built the physical and/or mental strength to take on the next challenge, and I know that. But those that are ready get pushed harder. And they are ok with it (most of the time, haha) because they are prepared and ready for the next challenge. They aren’t afraid because they know everything they have done to this point has prepared them for the next step. This is the same with our walk with God.
So, what area is it in your life that you need to make some changes? If there are many (don’t worry, that is the case for a lot of us I'm sure) pick one and start there. Small sustainable changes over long periods of time, that is the key. As you work this “muscle” you will notice that you can take on bigger changes/challenges as you become stronger spiritually. God is ready to, and probably already is, leading you through this process. Accept the challenge and stay consistent!
Are there changes/practices you have done/used in your life that have helped you and could help someone else? If so, throw them in the comments below.
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