In Both Writing and Life In General
This is not a conviction post, just so that's clear from the get-go.
I am not here to convict you, or guilt you into choosing different priorities, or change up your whole summer. I merely want to encourage you to find your priorities, and realize that this summer will only be given to you once, so maybe you do need to do something different than what you're doing now.
And, I am writing this post just as much for me as for you.
Consistency is something I have struggled with a lot, in my writing career especially. The fact that I haven't gotten anything published yet and haven't exactly ever gotten over 50,000 words in a single project is proof enough.
But, I'm working on it. This blog is one way that I am teaching myself to be more consistent - forcing myself to post at least one article a week, and at least two emails a month, and actually having people keeping me accountable is a decently big step for me.
And if I can be consistent, you definitely can be too. So, let's try and do this, together, this summer.
But Why Does Consistency Matter?
First of all, because it's a key life habit that will pretty much make your life a whole lot better in general.
The more consistent you are, the more people can rely on you and trust you to be timely and know for a fact that you will be there, or you will follow through.
A consistent person is steady and sure, and people are more likely to trust them because they're unlikely to change what they're doing.
Consistent people fall easily into habits, and as long as those habits are good, that is an excellent trait to have. It makes you less sporadic and impulsive.
People who stay true to their word and are consistent in their actions and behaviors are much more liked by the people around them, have an easier time making friends, and are more likely to hold down a job.
So in general, being consistent can benefit every aspect of your life.
And then there's consistency in writing.
Consistency In Writing
Writers who consistently write and meet goals and deadlines are much more likely to work well with agents and editors and even publishers, meaning they can make a better living.
Writing consistently also teaches good habits and forces you to write, even when you don't feel like it, which puts words on the page and in the end teaches you a whole ton that you wouldn't have learned if you only wrote when you felt like it.
And then, writing consistently prepares you far better for writing in the future because if you're working for a publishing company with deadlines, you're going to have to write consistently. If you already have that consistency under your belt, meeting deadlines will be a breeze.
But there is one area in which consistency isn't just beneficial, it's crucial.
Consistency In Your Walk With God
This is something that does not exactly come easy to me, or any of us in the beginning because there are so many other things that fill up your day.
Maybe you started out the year with a daily Bible Reading plan, but then there was that one day where you got five hours of sleep and then worked the next morning and then something came up. . . and you didn't get around to reading your Bible that day.
So you promised yourself you would catch up, and it would all be fine. But then you spend the night at a friend's, your mom gets sick the next day, and you're already three days behind.
And then four. And then five. And when you look at your Bible sitting beside your bed, and you can barely keep your eyes open for five more minutes, and there's the thought of five, or six whole days to catch up from, you. Are. Drained.
And all the joy has been sucked out of your heart.
So you roll over and tell yourself you'll start next week. But once again, life gets in the way, and you give up on the reading plan because there's no way you'll ever catch back up.
Please stop right now, and tell yourself that's ok.
It is ok.
God did not command us to read the Bible one hour a day, listen to at least three sermons, and make at least five Instagram posts with scripture verses or quotes from the intense Bible Study that you're in the middle of.
He did not command you to do any of that. Because He knows it's impossible for a mom with five kids under ten, who is also trying to homeschool them. He knows it's impossible for a teenager juggling two jobs and college work.
So if you're not spending four hours of the day doing Bible studies and watching sermons, that's ok.
What He Actually Did Command
But He does command us to "rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). He says that "this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is in it" (Joshua 1:8).
He also says that our delight should be in the law of the Lord and we should meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:2).
So obviously God wants us to read His Word and be invested in it and constantly thinking about it - I mean, it is His word, and when you write a letter to someone, I'm guessing you would want them to read it too, right? Especially when it concerns either their eternal life, or eternal death.
God wants us to make time for His Word, and to have it be an integral part of our lives, but He does not ask us to sacrifice our joy, to do that. We should be able to set aside ten minutes a day to devote to just being with our Heavenly Father, and we should look forward to it. Not dread it.
So Let's Do It
Let's put aside ten minutes in the morning to read His words, shall we? Let's choose a verse to memorize so that we can be meditating on it as we do the dishes, and fold the laundry, and sit through another boring class period. Let's turn on worship music as we bake dinner for the people God has put in our homes, or turn on a sermon to listen to as we clean the bathroom, or choose to listen to the Bible when we wake up in the early morning and just can't force our eyes to read words on a page.
It's actually very easy to find creative ways to worship and meditate on God's word, even as we fulfill the work He has placed in our lives. And then, you start looking forward to folding that next load of laundry because you finally get to listen to the end of Hebrews. Or you look forward to those ten minutes of just laying in your bed in the morning and listening to Psalms.
The King who sacrificed His only Son for our salvation certainly deserves us to choose His word, over listening to Taylor Swift as you bake cookies for that church luncheon.
And I promise you, your life will start to become filled with more joy, and more thankfulness, and more graciousness. I mean, how hard is it to snap at your younger sister when you're in the middle of listening to Philippians, which Paul wrote when he was in jail, just so you know.
So let's be consistent with choosing God, over anything else. Choosing to find joy in Him. Choosing to devote our time to Him.
Because that's really the only consistency we need in our lives. That's the only consistency that will stick with us into eternity.
And when you're consistent with God, believe me, you will find it a lot easier to be consistent in other areas of your life.
"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having al that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).