"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." - 1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT
In an effort to get healthy, I attempted this 30-Day exercise plan at the beginning of the year. Hoping that it would be the start of my get-fit journey, I found that some of the activities were just too plain hard for me to do.
So what did I do? I gave up after 30 days and stopped exercising altogether even though my doctor insisted that I do something. I wasn't quite ready to do most of the exercise activities because I was unfamiliar with them in the first place. In a conversation with a good friend, whose opinion I value, she said to keep it simple. In order to be consistent, just do the exercise activities that you are most comfortable doing. Let me just tell you all, that I now walk 4 days out of the week, 15 squats every morning and 25 jumping jacks. This advice was really helpful. At least I get some kind of exercise daily. We have to have this same mindset when getting in the presence of Jesus. Start with what is comfortable to you every morning. If sitting quiet for the first 5 minutes is what you decide, that's fine. Being quiet is when we can hear God talking to us the most. If reading a passage out of the Book of Psalms is comfortable, do it. Simplicity will help us to be more consistent in our time with the Lord. Think about it, even Jesus kept it simple when He spent time with our Father. He simply got up early to pray. He didn't make a big spectacle about it. You don't have to either. You need simplicity and consistency to develop your routine of getting before the Lord for the first 15 minutes of your day!
This is great, practical advice.