“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people,” (Colossians 3:23)
Last week I shared from my heart some struggles, goals, dreams, and plans as I invited you and others along for the journey. A journey that overlaps characteristics I am striving toward and habits I am changing. Today as we begin processing the first phrase in BALM, Bee consistent, we will take a glimpse of a conversation I had with my dear sweet cousin, Jenny Champion of consistency! 😉(pun intended)
Throughout her adult life, I have watched Jenny live consistent in how she works, consistent in how she parents, consistent in bible studies she hosts, workouts she led, and family gatherings she organized. Her yes is yes, and her no is no. She never leaves room for interpretation, you always know where you stand with her, but above all Jenny truly demonstrates what it means to be salt and light of the world, she doesn’t just talk about Jesus, she lives for Jesus.
“It is how I live life, it is who God created me to be, It is who I am.” While Jenny shared that consistency has always been a part of her life, a God given strength, she also revealed a time in her life when she was not dependable. She was not walking with Jesus and had lost those characteristics that make her so unique and special. In the chaos, her own mother hardly recognized her; but God still gave her grace through her younger two children who do not recall this time in her life.
Jenny shared that she could not get out of her chaos until she submitted to Jesus. “When I started my women’s bible study, that’s when I started being intentional about being consistent.” As she referred to making “intentional” her focus word for the year. Jenny also read something on a group page she had joined about being consistent so that people can depend on you, this stuck with her as she began leading both women’s bible studies and workout classes.
This led to us to the topic of living intentionally in other areas of our lives. How easy it is to tell someone you will pray for them but forget later. Wouldn’t it be better to stop and pray right there? Are we reading our scripture daily or is it hit and miss? Jenny tells us, “Studying the word daily is so important, after you do it consistently, it becomes first priority and everything else comes second.” We joked about telling our kids they would have to wait to go to the ER for a broken arm until after we read the bible. But in all seriousness, we both agreed that life feels dysfunctional without the word.
For those of you who are struggling in this area, “It is not too late until you are in the grave” Jenny shared as she talked about people putting too much expectation on themselves and I am reminded how often I overcomplicate life, trying to make too many changes at once. If you have not been reading your bible consistently, reading it in a year is a lofty goal, maybe start with reading five minutes a day instead. As Jenny puts it, “Find a way to build a habit.”
When I asked Jenny about accountability, she shared how important it is to find what works. “What keeps you accountable?” She asks. Jenny finds accountability through her discipleship ministry and social media platforms; she reads the word daily on social media, but this would overwhelm me. She also sends a daily text to a woman in her discipleship class as a reminder to read the bible. While the text has worked beautifully for this woman, Jenny admits that is would be less likely to work for her. As intentional and consistent time in the Word lead to memorizing scripture, Jenny and I wrapped up our discussion.
With the word sealed on our hearts and minds, we are better prepared to give Jesus our best. “When I think about doing my best, I always try to go back to how we are always supposed to be working for the Lord, everything we do is supposed to be for the Lord.” Back to setting small attainable goals toward growth. “It should be our goal as Christians to do everything according to Christ,” Jenny continued to explain that if we are really doing that, we need to figure out what the word is saying and how it is telling us to live our lives. Are you living your best life for Jesus?
Please leave your comments, questions, and feedback as I encourage you to engage throughout this journey.