As a new year begins, I've found myself thinking of standards. The standards we live up to, for example. So much of our performance in life is taught at a young age. Was the standard of our parents high or low? What about our teachers? Basically, the adults in our lives that we spent most of our time around are they whom influence us to achieve as much as we can, or phone it in and merely get by.
What is on my mind, however, is that once we are adults, the standard is not always set by external forces. Yes, we continue to maintain the drive based on our younger years to some respect, but we can be improved or worn down still by those around us. Does our employer call out greatness in us, does our spouse, do our professors if we are adult students? Or are they mediocre and we then drop our standard to meet that because we've grown apathetic? Conversely, and rarely, as adults we find someone calling us to higher ground. There is greater inertia to overcome in this instance, but praise God for it!
As 2025 begins, let us challenge ourselves to ask God to reveal to us areas where our standard is too low and strive to make a better self-standard! Does the doctor say exercise 3 days a week? How about go for 5 just to do better than average? Have we started eating salad once a week? Why not strive for twice? Cell phone and social media use got you down? How about every other day instead of each night before bed, OR, don't allow scrolling if you haven't read God's word and prayed for at least 15 solid minutes? Set measurable goals and see how you improve.
I am reading more this year, on my phone far less, and back to the gym. This means shifting the time I have for other things, but it is what I want to do. What must go? Well, asking God to show me and then following through has to happen. With a packed schedule, as we all feel we have or many of us feel we have, there are always things that can change that aren't value adding.
Where do you want to be when 2026 starts, as a person? What can you control and what can't you control? May I recommend focusing on what you CAN control and getting busy about those things?
May God bless you in the New Year!
