Lifted Life, LLC

Recently, my mother gave me some notes from a book she listened to while on a road trip called Atomic Habits by James Clear. Just a few pages of her notes were enough to compel me to make changes right away in my everyday life. Brunk shifts the way you think about your day from being a flurry of activity to becoming a system of behaviors, and removes the intimidation associated with changes to your everyday habits.

One of the changes I made was “habit stacking,” where you identify a current behavior and attach a new habit to it. No behavior happens in isolation; if you want to be sure that a new habit becomes a sure part of your daily life, “stack” it! Make the decision that, “After (old habit), I will (new habit).” After breakfast which I already do at the same time every day, I go downstairs switch the laundry, then bring up my food for dinner from the pantry and freezer. Stacking these tasks in the morning after breakfast helps me get anything washed that I may need for that day and allows me time to shop for or change up plans for supper before it’s too late in the day. It’s kind of a game-changer – and such a simple thing!

It was interesting to realize that, of course, we don’t choose our earliest habits – we imitate them. The groups we imitate are those who are close to us, powerful, and many. “Once we fit it in, we want to stand out.” I had to ask myself, who am I with most of the time? Who do I call? Who do I listen to and follow online? I want to be sure I’m “standing out” in the right group: a wise group of people, who work hard, achieve a lot and are loving. If I want my unconscious habits to develop in a way I’m pleased with, I need to surround myself with people who live in a way that I’m thoroughly pleased with, too!

Brunk emphasizes that doing things you need to do is more encouraging if you then get to do what you want to do afterwards. He calls it “temptation building.”  One example of this is building a covered porch around your home and being encouraged that one day you’ll get to sip lemonade in a lounge chair and watch your children play in the cool shade that you made.  A more immediate example is that if you put in an extra hour every night this workweek then you can take the family to camp over the weekend. It’s all too easy sometimes to get distracted or lazy if you aren’t encouraged by a reward of sorts. If you only work when it’s convenient or exciting, you will not achieve remarkable results. Don’t let “life” (unfocused busyness, idleness) get in the way. Brunk also warns us not to be a “fair-weather anything” – be all in, or none at all! Be purposeful when you choose your habits, and work to fix them into your everyday life!

As I read through the notes from the book, I was faced with a question: what “remarkable results” did I want to achieve? That is, after all, the real goal here – not just to rearrange my day and shake things up, but to truly achieve something remarkable, something that means a lot to me. I first went into the Word of God for some clarity, because if it’s important to God, it should be important to me. I listened to preachers with open ears. What I heard from the Word confirmed what I was already thinking: I need to arrange my own tasks around service to others. I need to schedule in – make a routine habit of – doing things for others. The remarkable result I desired was right there in 1 John 3:18: “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech, but with action and in truth.” I realized I wanted a result of love overflowing from my life – pouring in and rushing out so much that there would be no room left for strife, bitterness, weariness, distraction, confusion, fear, or anything else but love. That would be remarkable. The “action” in 1 John 3:18 is confirmed in Ephesians 2:10, “We are God’s masterpiece and created for good works,” in Galatians 5:13-14, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love,” and in 1 Peter 4:10, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in various forms.” So there I found my instruction: make habits of serving others.

The practice of giving of yourself through service was already modeled for me in many ways by both family and friends, and so I was already doing this in small ways – but really just when it felt convenient or exciting. As Brunk said, you won’t achieve anything if you only work when it’s convenient or exciting. So, I scheduled a time of service for my sister. 1 morning a week. I scheduled a time of service to a nursing home, 1 evening a week. I scheduled service to my husband, taking action every day to express love whether it be with the daily cup of coffee, organizing his closet, getting the kids out of the house by myself so he can work in peace, or making him homemade ice cream. A backrub given to my father; a shirt given to my friend. Inviting the neighbors over for supper and a fire. I began making a habit of serving people. I’m not doing it totally consistently or perfectly, and the habit of service wasn’t exactly what the book’s author had in mind – he was teaching more along the lines of the little habits to improve the efficiency of your day – but in the end, he was right: when I made service a habit that was peppered in through all my days, the result was remarkable!

The love in my life is evidence of the power of God and the truth of His Word, because love is truly overflowing in my life! How could I show you how it is overflowing with love? It’s been evidenced in so many ways, it’s been hard to keep track, but mostly in the way of gifts, money, food, and service projects. My parent’s neighbor, whom I don’t know, came out to offer me 40 pounds of ground venison. A mother and daughter gave us 3 gift cards for visiting the nursing home they work at. Here’s a before-and-after of one house project that my family came together to help my husband and I finish. They put in full day’s work, on a holiday, to do this for us. That’s the evidence of love overflowing! These photographs are just a part of this testimony of the truth of God’s Word. If you live out a life of joyful service, God will be sure to show you just how much you are loved, too! (And you’ll soon realize that YOU are the evidence of love that others will be testifying about, just as those who served me well this month are my testimony!)

Related scriptures:

1 Thessalonians 5:11

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as in fact you are doing.”

“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as ye also do.”

Hebrews 10:24-25

“And let us consider how we may spur one another toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as the day of Christ’s return draws near.”

Proverbs 14:23

“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

Romans 15:5

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.”

Psalm 90:17

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.”

Romans 15:2

“Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.”

If you’re reading this and haven’t received Christ into your heart, I want to give you the opportunity to make that decision for yourself today. Jesus said that when the final day comes, people will desperately turn to Him and He’ll say to them, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” The final day and the final hour is coming literally at any moment. Everyone reading this can agree that their own final hour is unpredictable.  If you’re a Christian, but realize you don’t really know Jesus, this is for you. If you’re seeing this and have never been told the Gospel or offered the opportunity to respond to it, here’s the deal. Has anyone ever told you that God loves you and that He has a wonderful plan for your life? I have a real quick, but important question to ask you. If you were to die this very second, do you know for sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you would go to Heaven?  If your answer is anything other than, “I have Jesus in my heart,” let me share this news with you!

This is what the Holy Bible reads. It reads, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” and “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. The Bible also reads, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  And you’re a “whosoever,” right? Of course you are; all of us are!

I’m going to say a quick prayer for you. Lord, bless the person reading this and their family with long and healthy lives. Jesus, make Yourself real to them and do a quick work in their heart. If they have not received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, I pray they will do so now. 

Reader, if you would like to receive the gift that God has for you today, say this after me with your heart and with your lips out loud: Dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive me of my sin. Wash me and cleanse me. Set me free. Jesus, thank You that You died for me. I believe that You are risen from the dead and that You’re coming back again for me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Give me a passion for the lost, a hunger for the things of God and a holy boldness to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m saved; I’m born again, I’m forgiven and I’m on my way to Heaven because I have Jesus in my heart!

As a fellow Christian who stands on the truth of the Word of God, I tell you today that all of your sins are forgiven. Always remember to run to God and not from God, because He loves you and has a great plan for your life.

If you said this prayer today, leave a comment, call us at (475) 355-0316 or e-mail us at Liftedlifeservices@gmail.com so we can welcome you to the family of God and send you resources to help you learn about your awesome new identity in Christ!

Thanks to River Ministries International for providing the straightforward and powerful soul-winning script, which helps transform lives every day.