Are you struggling with motivation this time of year? Is it taking all youβve got to just face whatβs on your to-do list?
We can so easily miss the true reason for the season when we are so caught up with all we have to DO. But let me help you today focus on who you can BE and who He IS as your strength, motivation, and reason for doing all you do.
I, too, remember waking up one morning this time of year and thinking, I donβt feel like getting out of bed. I donβt feel like doing all that I have to do today. I feel like Iβm running on empty.
So, I went to the Psalms that morning and what I found there in the Songs of Scripture was a pattern that I needed to follow every day of the year. The psalmists often sangβin their songs of frustration and desperationβthe words βI willβ when it came to getting out of their slump.
When Asaph was disillusioned with the circumstances in his life, he sang: βI will meditate on all Thy worksβ¦I will remember your deedsβ (Psalm 77:12).
When David was wondering if God heard his cries for help, he said βI will come into your house; in reverence I will bow downβ (Psalm 5:7). And when he felt like he was being defeated, he sang βI will know that God is for meβ¦I will not be afraidβ (Psalm 56:9-11).
The psalmists didnβt say βI thinkβ or βI feelβ or βI should.β It was βI will”β-a sense of determinationβ-a determined course of action. In fact, in all 150 of the Psalms, the phrase I will was sung 140 times. That told me something. It made me realize there were some things I needed to say βI willβ about whether I felt like it or not.
So I began to say βI will start my day in prayerβ and βI will get into Godβs Wordβ so I could stay focused in my mind.
I began to say βI will eat sensibly todayβ and βI will make it a priority to exerciseβ so I could keep fit in my body.
And I began to say βI willβ appreciate what God has made.β βI will take time to reflect and worshipβ in order to keep my soul fresh.
As I began saying βI willβ about the things I didnβt feel like doing, God met me where I was and infused that fuel and energy and motivation back into my life.
What do you need to say βI willβ about today in order to have the God-infused energy you need to get through this month?
βI will tackle this to-do list with enthusiasmβ?
βI will prioritize my family todayβ?
βI will live in a way that honors my Godβ?
βI will do all that is required of me to the best of my abilityβ?
Say those two words βI willβ and see what you end up accomplishing today.
For more on staying focused in your mind, fit in your body, and fresh in your soul, see my book, When Youβre Running on Empty, now on sale in my website store.