Pt. 1: How to Begin New Habits {Free Daily Planner}

When we read this book , there’s this character that just goes ahead and puts on her “habit.”

Shalom pats my shoulder and asks, “What’s a habit?”

The amaryllis on the sill, it’s swelling in hope.

And I tell Shalom this: a habit is something that is worn.

She flickers recognition, nods, turns back to the page. She waits for me to read the next line.

I’m sort of struck: A habit is what we wear. A habit is the way we wear our days.

Wear new habits and your life gets a makeover.

Consistently do things at the same time everyday and find yourself a new person.

I look down at my jeans and a threadbare knee. I have habits that desperately need changing.

I lay out new threads: clip The Day’s Draft to the clipboard. Lay January’s Joy Dare out by the numbered journal.

And scratching down a plan for each day, The Day’s Draft —  working on habits and consistency.

And there’s realizing this too:

If it matters, you make the time.

If it doesn’t, you make excuses.

Standing in an imperfect place is just the perfect place to begin, and everyday offers the hope of Day 1.

His mercies are new every morning and this is a gift.

Snow falls in the orchard.

I carry a clipboard around and just try it — try on new habits. Forward!  And too, to just keep giving thanks, because I’m a mess knowing just one thing: The Next Thing is always to Give Thanks.

It’s an astonishing thing to know God’s clear will for you in the next year: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you…” (Thess. 5:18)

And the thing is, if I can just keep setting the timer and doing pomodoros for each of the tasks on the Day’s Draft — even this hick might wear new threads.

And then, at the end of the day, to be done with the day because you’ve done what you could do. The accomplishment of a day isn’t so much about accomplishing goals but abiding in God. True, the day may have stumbled and fallen, but in Christ we are the saved.

Tomorrow, it will descend like a fresh dew, a fresh snow, and it will come again —  Fresh grace all over again.

The amaryllis on the sill, it resolves to unfold beauty.  And it does, it blooms wide open. It does it right there on the sill — wears this habit of hope, keeps leaning forward toward the sun.

Right here in winter, the snow still falling deep in the orchard.

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To Download your own copy of The Day’s Draft, head over here

edited repost

And to print January’s Joy Dare:

{Dare to make 2013 the year where you find Joy right where you are! Each month’s Joy Dare is like a God scavenger hunt —- just 3 gifts to hunt for everyday… and by the end of the year, you’ve counted #1000gifts…and changed your life! Because research shows that keeping a gratitude list of gifts? Increases happiness by 25% ! Who doesn’t want *more Joy* in 2013!

Matt Redman is singing our song: ”For all Your goodness I will keep on singing – *10,000* reasons for my heart to find…“ Let’s find another 1000 reasons to thank Him! 

It’s an astonishing thing to know God’s definite will for you in the next year: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you…”  (Thess. 5:18)

 

 

Programming Notes for the rest of the week:

Thursday’s post:  My One Word for the New Year… have you chosen one word to name your new year?

Friday’s Post: The new Bible Memorization Project for 2013….

 

Every Wednesday, we Walk with Him, posting a spiritual practice that draws us nearer to His heart.

To read the entire series of spiritual practices

The Next 2 Weeks, we will be sharing on Wednesday: The Practice of New Habits How do we begin again every day? How do we make a fresh start every day and begin anew? We look forward to your thoughts, stories, ideas….

Today, if you’d like to share with community The Practice of New Habits … just quietly slip in the direct URL to your exact post….. If you join us, we humbly ask that you please help us find each other by sharing the community’s graphic within your post.

Click here to download the FREE JESSE TREE Advent Family Devotional {please give it a few moments to download… thank you for grace!}