We're only twenty-one days into the new year AND the new decade... yet everything feels much the same as it did last month, right? Christmas comes and goes. We put up the tree, drape the lights, hang our stockings and within a few short weeks every ornament and decoration is tucked neatly away in plastic bins until next December (honestly... November, for most of us).
This January brought more hoopla than normal. We were not only saying goodbye to 2019 but to an entire decade. Ten years that could have been full of awe and wonder or full of crap. (Just sayin'. Trying to be real because usually people don't have great decades. You may have a fantastic year or two, but to have an epic ten years is pretty rare.) With that being said, you may have been ready to say "peace out" to the twenty tens. So... bye.
But goodbye means hello to something else. A resolution, an expectation, or a dream.
You may be the kind of person that resolves to improve your health, pursue a career goal, or completely shift the direction of your life. Most folks think it takes 21 days to instill a habit, however it really depends on the KIND of habit you're seeking. It only takes a few days to create a routine of eating a doughnut for breakfast, but if you want to commit to flossing or running 30 minutes a day it takes much longer. Bad habits are stickier. The average time for the average person to develop the average good habit is 66 days. That's about nine weeks.
March 6th, people.
If you're already discouraged or disappointed, chill. If you're still waiting for the blessing, something beautiful, or a breakthrough - linger longer. Press in to the tension of looking toward the horizon and waiting for the sunrise to appear. Press in, but don't be passive. Read more, pray more, meditate more, and speak more of God's truth in and over your life. These disciplines are habits worth pursuing... while you wait.
Set your sights further than three weeks. Maybe even past the nine week mark. Adjust your focus to see tiny blessings, glimpses of beauty, and the beginnings of breakthrough.
These days may feel ordinary and stagnant. But... God is not idle. We are only 21 days into the new year, so keep going, keep waiting, and keep expecting. Work in the waiting. God is, and so should we. #66days #goodhabits
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Psalm 130:5-6
