Strategic with Developing Spiritual Disciplines
Practical strategies are there to help with the process by making things simpler, easier, and more manageable.
It's no secret that developing any discipline in life takes a lot of time, effort, and hard work whether that's exercising, studying, writing, cleaning, cooking, or spiritual activities such as praying, reading God's Word, and contemplating. Acquiring any new habit is no easy feat. It's no surprise that many people give up so easily on developing disciplines or habits when things get tough.
How many of us have tried to develop a consistent prayer life only to give up a few days later? Or try to read Scripture on a daily basis only to find our Bibles left unopened for months on end? We say that we'll "try harder" next time only to stumble and falter once again.
Richard Foster, who is known for his work around spiritual disciplines, offered this thought: "Most people think they will grow to be more like Jesus through trying hard rather than training hard." It's really hard to develop disciplines by simply "trying harder." It's not a very effective strategy to brute-force our way to acquiring any habit. Rather, we should consider habit formation as something that requires "training." We can be strategic with how we're going to develop disciplines in our lives. This means that we should consider crafting a plan that works for us. This means looking at the steps needed to slowly develop the habit and progressing through the steps one after another. This also means using techniques and tips that will make things simpler and easier to acquire the discipline. It's OK to be strategic about how we develop our spiritual disciplines.
Some may think that being strategic is opposed to relying on the Holy Spirit. I actually think that the ability to be strategic is a gift from the Holy Spirit to help us. And besides, we can always make sure that we consult the Holy Spirit in every step of the way when forming our strategies.
Developing any discipline is hard. Practical strategies are there to help with the process by making things simpler, easier, and more manageable. For example, I've been waking up at 5 AM for a few months now. This is a very hard discipline to acquire. I've employed multiple strategies to make it easier for me to do it:
I discovered that working out right away helps combat grogginess. Starting my devotions right away doesn't work for me.
I bundle exercising (an activity that I don't inherently enjoy) with listening to a podcast (an activity that I do enjoy). This makes it easier for me to get into my workout.
I wind down my day at 9 PM so that I can be sleeping by 10 PM. I need proper sleep or I'm not going to enjoy waking up early at all.
I talk about this habit I'm developing with other people such as my wife and friends. This adds a layer of accountability that helps motivate me to keep doing it.
I reflect regularly on what I enjoy about waking up early (i.e. setting up my day well, spending time with God, engaging in small wins, etc.).
I intentionally give myself a break to not do this habit once a week (Saturdays).
All these strategies combined have helped me acquire the habit of waking up at 5 AM. Attempting to acquire the discipline through brute-force hasn't worked and is likely doomed for failure.
It's OK to be strategic. It's not unbiblical or un-Christian to do so. In fact, we should see it as an inherent part of being human. We've been created by God with the ability to think, plan, and craft strategies that will help us grow as humans and in our relationship with Christ.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
