Just do it

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You made it! Now what?

Our Bible verse for today: ““Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Just do it”

As we continue to think about bringing a better attitude with us into this New Year, I’m reminded of the words of Yoda who famously told Luke Skywalker, “There is no try, there is only do.” The emphasis is on the doing. Talking about doing something isn’t good enough. Even “trying” is only okay if that’s just the starting point. What matters is to keep trying until you do it. Years ago, the clothing and shoe company Nike had a slogan “Just do it!” That’s good advice.

Many of us talk a good game. We have the best of intentions, and we fully intend to accomplish the thing someday – just not today. Unfortunately, if we’re in the habit of making excuses and procrastinating, then there will always be an excuse and “someday” will never come. And so, we need to “Just do it!”

One of the best strategies for just doing it is called “segmenting”. Segmenting is when we break down a goal or objective into smaller, easily managed pieces. Then we simply focus on accomplishing the smaller and easier part that we have before us right now, rather than focusing on the end objective. I once read a great illustration of segmenting in the book “Resilience” by Eric Greitens. He used the example of a deeply depressed person trying to get out of bed:

“A person with severe depression might find it overwhelming to get out of bed in the morning. So, don’t do it. You don’t have to. You don’t have to get out of bed if it’s overwhelming. But you do have to ask yourself, Can I move my toes? Yes. Then do it. Can I move my fingers? Yes. Then do it. Can I open my eyes? Yes. Can I take a deep breath? Yes. Can I put one leg over the side of the bed? Yes. Can I put another leg over the side of the bed? Can I put some weight on my heels? You’re out of bed.”

Segmenting works! Whether you’re simply trying to get out of bed, lose 50 pounds, or earn a college degree, break it down into smaller easily managed parts and then go forward one easy step at a time. Do enough of that and before long you will find yourself out of bed, or 50 pounds lighter, or crossing the stage to receive your diploma. Simple tasks offer fewer excuses. The more complicated you make something the more excuses you can create for not doing it. So, make it simple and then just do that – one easy step at a time.

So, don’t procrastinate. Don’t make excuses. Do something! Like Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:13 – ready your mind for action. Decide that you are going to do something and then do it. Excuses and procrastination are killers. They hold us back from ever achieving our dreams or making meaningful progress in life. The truth is that there is always something you can do to make your situation a little bit better than it is. So, just do it.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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