“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.” ~RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Time is ever precious and what we do with our time today will determine the results and successes of our tomorrows.
Many around the world have been given more time than they had asked for and seemingly more ‘free’ time than they know what to do with since the pandemic hit.
But when one takes a moment to remember all the times they’ve said or thought, “If I had more time I would (fill in the blank)” they would realize that right now, even as the economy slowly opens, is the time to fill in their blanks.
Filling in the blanks.
Taking the quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson let’s create a road map for the coming months. Let’s fill in the blanks and prepare for brighter futures and days ahead, days that we created.
What thoughts have you pondered over the years when you envisioned your life in the future? Right now is the time to think about your ‘blank,’ the what-you-would-do-if.
This is your ‘thought’. Once you have prayed over that thought now is the time to take action.
What do you need to do to bring this thought into manifestation? These are your action steps. Do you need to research? Do you need to brainstorm ideas? Do you need to simply step out of your comfort zone? Whatever it may be the first step is simply to take some sort of fruitful action in the direction to the God-given thought.
Create a system during this season that is sustainable. For me, I want to continue and improve my focus on making art, writing books, and preaching the Gospel. With art, my action steps have been to research the new medium I want to grow in. The next step has been to set aside blocks of time daily to practice the craft, sustainable time like 15 minutes a day until I can develop the consistent discipline to do more.
Consistency creates character. By committing to this, the habit is becoming ingrained in my being. It is becoming like second-nature. For fifteen minutes a day, I make art. It’s similar to knowing that before my day begins and before bed at night, I brush my teeth. That time is set in stone. I don’t have to negotiate for it.
The same is being developed in my art as well as my writing. My mind shifts to creative writing mode around 2:30pm each day and remains in that vein until around 5-5:30pm. It is no longer a struggle to write because that consistent character has been created.
The character to walk out destiny. I know that I am called to create art, write books, and preach the gospel. But knowledge alone is not enough. It took me first acknowledging what the Lord had placed in my heart to do, doing my research and seeing what worked for me, creating a growth plan for my desired goals, and then making them habitual even in days and moments I just didn’t feel like showing up.
Galatians 6:7-8 tells us, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
The core of this scripture is recognizing that what you invest in is what you will eat from later. Time has been something that many of us have complained about not having enough of and prayed the Lord would give us more of.
Right now we are standing in the answer. Take the time that is given you now to seek the Lord for your ‘how.’ He has given you a vision for your destiny or at least the next phase toward its greatest fulfillment. Seek His direction in how to sow the next steps.
~Dream. Imagine. Believe. Do. CONQUER!
–Candice Coates is an author, blogger, and contributor to Ambo TV. To read more from her, follow her blog at www.icameforthesoup.com