Day 8 of the 30-Day Challenge: Procrastination Station
Task: To get more scripture reading and studying time into my day.
Reason for Task: Now that I’ve completed one week of early morning workout routines, I think it’s time to add one more element to my exercise regimen…listening to the Bible on audio. I actually have it on my cell phone and can, therefore, play it wherever the phone is present, which is usually in close proximity to me at all times. One of the reasons I think early morning exercising is beneficial is that it provides a natural boost to my day as well as eating a well-balanced and nutritious breakfast, getting adequate sleep from the night before, and meditating on God’s Word through the scriptures. So, a great option for getting more Bible into my day is to add a 30-minute listening session in the morning, while I’m exercising. Since I’m pretty comfortable in the current exercise routine I’m performing during the weekdays, I’ve decided to take Kelli’s (from Fitness Blender) advice and turn off her audio but instead of replacing it with music, I’ll initially listen to scriptures in Psalms through Ecclesiastes. I find these books of the Bible to hold words of encouragement, inspiration, call to action, and wisdom that give me that little pat on the back or jolt of purpose I need to develop a pattern of positivity and productivity to my day.
Duration of Task: Day 1 of the task, which will be carried out consistently on weekdays when I exercise.
Background Info: I truly believe that a family that prays together, stays together. But, I can say the same for a family that regularly has Bible study together within the home. From experience, I can tell you that it’s a beautiful thing. Seeing yourself and your family build a strong moral compass together is so completely rewarding. Reading and studying the Bible establishes a firm belief structure that is able to develop you as a person, drive your goals and ambitions, and guide you in decision-making efforts such as relationships to establish and activities to participate in. Now, if this task can do all these things for one person, think of what it can do for an entire tightly-knit family. And, I can only speak for myself (I’m sure my family would agree wholeheartedly), but spending time in the Bible makes me feel like I’ve done something meaningful for the day, something life-changing in a most positive way. Looking forward, my husband’s and my prayer is that our children will create an atmosphere within their own homes for building their families’ foundational frameworks on scriptural knowledge.
Outcome: Today started the first day of my audio Bible time, while conducting my early morning workout. It was wonderful! I really felt accomplished in doing two things (simultaneously) that start my day on the right note. I do have to admit that listening to the Bible while exercising is probably not the best option for deep studying purposes. It’s more of a time of mentally preparing your mind for the day ahead, basically getting your mind right. For deep studies and the retaining of scriptural knowledge, it’s best to have a sit-down, Bible-in-hand, turn-the-pages, read-for-yourself type of study session, where there are no other distractions to divide your attention. As a matter of fact, I’m currently going through a study of the different ways God communicated with mankind throughout the book of Genesis, and this study is one that I would definitely do outside of my new morning ritual. It deserves its own space and time.
Quote for the Day (from me and inspired by the portrait below which resides on my wall): You are what you feed your mind, so eat to live your best life.
degreesofmaternity.com 