It can be easy for us to plainly explain how to create or start a routine and why it is important for your success and future. But, how can we truly be motivated to maintain a routine if it seems like there won’t be a future due to the world going downhill each and every day. If you look around you, the world seems like it’s a dumpster fire every day.

Everyday, there is a new crisis, new tragedy, crazy news, fear stricken government and its policies, or financial setbacks in your community or family.

• Do you wake up each morning and do not know what your day holds?

• Can there be a solid routine or a plan that you can have in your life in the midst of craziness and unknowns?

That is what we want to write about and we remind you where our true hope comes from and how routines and plans are still wise to have even in this day and age.

Just because the world seems chaotic doesn’t mean that your life has to be as well. We want to first explain and share the reasons behind what we are trying to get across to you today. How can you create some order when there is much disorder in the world?

Hope and Encouragement:

First of all, we cannot move on in this post without addressing the most important way that we can live our lives in peace, joy, and purpose even in this crazy world with such unknowns. Our true and only hope is from Jesus Christ alone and He reminds us to remember that this world is not our forever home – our home and future is in heaven.

We can look ahead and feel confident knowing where we will be headed when we pass from this world to the next. If you are reading this and you are unsure of where you might be going, reach out and we can pray with you are go to your local pastor or minister and ask to seek the next steps in asking Jesus to come into your heart to be your Lord and Savior.

Heaven is an eternal home for God’s children, for those who believe in Him and follow Him. We are not meant to live in this world forever, (thank God haha) our forever home is in the kingdom of heaven.

However, at the same time of knowing this truth, God does not want for us to sit idly by while we wait for heaven. He calls for us to have a relationship for Him and to glorify His Holy Name by doing good works. (see Ephesians 2:8-10 for reference).

That is how we have true inner peace and joy because yes, routines and plans are important but we cannot ease or alleviate our struggles, pain, and sorrow on our own. Now that we’ve established a foundation for how we can live with so many unknowns while knowing a known God who knows everything, let’s talk about why we are wired to have routines and plans set in place…

 

What happens if we lack routine or a plan in our life?

Now, this begs the question: why is it important to create a plan or routine for our lives, even though our future seems uncertain or unknown due to the state of the world? When you wake up do you feel unsure about what will happen today?

Here is what routine is most accurately defined as, “routines are often made up of many small habits, or action steps taken towards accomplishing a particular goal.”

Overall, routines help us to move forward in our lives and success, achieving your goals, and accomplishing your plans. Without routines or plans, we will not move and will live a more stressed life. This following statement is very true:

“Developing a routine can help create a sense of manageability in life.”

Being able to manage our own lives is such a good and healthy feeling – having plans and events in your calendar, scheduling out meetings, appointments, and hangouts are good things. It’s okay to still plan for your future and your family’s future even when the future does not seem so bright and still unknown, even ever since Covid hit.

If you wake up in the morning, and the first thing you do is pick up your phone and scroll for an hour, would you think this is helpful, beneficial, and healthy…or not? Why or why not?

We know that there are studies that have stated that being on your phone first thing in the morning will make you more stressed and negative starting off your day.

“Seeing or reading something negative first thing in the morning can trigger your stress response and put you on edge for the rest of the day.”

Also, you can’t avoid the news while on your phone if you get on your news app or Facebook or TikTok. The news is famous for reporting outrageously more bad/negative news versus good news because people are more drawn to watch and keep watching the news in that way

(And, that is also how the news networks and news article sites keep making money.) When we get bored, most of the time we go straight to our phones out of habit, entertainment, or want to shut the world out.

We aren’t saying to never get on your phone in the morning but we wanted to share the information to share that everyone does have a routine, whether they know it or not.

But, whether the routine is beneficial or bad for you is entirely up to you. If you are feeling scared, overwhelmed, negative, angry, or upset in your day, maybe reviewing how you spend your day will shed light on how you are operating your life, your mind, and your body.

 

As followers of Christ, we are to live in power, wisdom, and mission

You can also do less of what the world wants us to do and do more of what you are called to do by the Lord.

In a biblical perspective, God calls for us to not live in fear or to surrender in living our lives but to live in His power, in wisdom, and mission. The most greatest and holy fear that we should have is the fear of the Lord,

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” – Proverbs 1:7.

It is considered wise to have the holy fear of God because we know we do not have full control of our lives and God is worthy to be praised because He has given us free salvation of grace for us.

And as followers of Christ, we have His power living inside of us through the Holy Spirit. We are not defenseless, powerless, or left without any help or guidance. The Holy Spirit is God and He reveals to us how we are called to live each day, including our routines and plans.

No matter what goes on in the world around us, we are to rest in God, praying and asking Him on how to live our life in the present, in the now. He shows us how to live in wisdom, being prepared financially, mentally, spiritually, and physically, keeping in mind not just the future but of heaven.

“Within your heart you can make plans for your future, but the Lord chooses the steps you take to get there.”

– Proverbs 16:9 (TPT)

We are called to live on a mission for God. Do us a favor and review and think through your current routines and plans right now.

• Do you have moments or margins in your routines where you are dedicating yourself to God?

• Do you make time or put God as your highest priority in your life?

• Does your routine only revolve around what you want and how you want things to go or is it how God wants it for you?

We know this can be hard to read and think through these questions – believe us, we are not perfect and this is an area of our life that we are still praying and asking God for help on.

It can be so easy for us to get caught up in everything we need to do and only be focused on little things that truly do not matter at the end of the day. If you are thinking and realizing that there are things that need to change, we are sure you’re wondering, “How do I follow God’s mission in my life?”

It starts with the Gospel, the Good News, and it needs to live in our hearts, allowing it to become the heartbeat of your life. Once we are living out the Gospel, we become more like Jesus, more loving, more caring, more sacrificial, more kind, more gentle, more truthful, and more compassionate.

We begin to add time in our routines to pray for people and their hearts, for your country, for policy changes, for the world. We begin to look for ways to serve and volunteer.

And, before you know it, we begin to live out God’s mission in our routines and plans, no matter what is going on in the world around us.

 

So how can we get started today to create some order and direction in your life?

Here is the definition of order and direction…

• The definition of order: “the arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method.”
• The definition of direction: “a course along which someone or something moves.”

Getting started today by creating some sort of order in your life can be very beneficial and rewarding because then the world seems to be falling apart around us. You do not need to scrap your whole life and start from scratch. Your life doesn’t have to follow along with what that world is up to.

Don’t you long to be different, to be a better person each and every day? Yes, we all have bad days where we are not at our best. The reason why having order and direction is very healthy is because it gives us something to look forward to and to aspire after.

One simple and easy thing to do is make your bed in the morning before you start your day. Making your bed will not only be the thing you accomplish before the day starts, it will also set your mind in order. This task is an easy and short activity that anyone can do and can help resist the urge to not get back in the bed when you do not feel like doing anything all day.

If you are headed nowhere in your life, how can you possibly go anywhere? Having some order in our lives also allows you to look further than the present moment or your current situation. It opens our eyes and mind to the future and we are able to dream and use our imagination and creativity that you never could seem to do without order.

Lianna and I love to dream. We also realize that it is difficult when minds and hearts are too focused on the present. There is nothing wrong about living in the present. However, if that is all you do, you can miss out on big opportunities and revelations that God is revealing to you.

So, we are praying and hoping that what we wrote for you on having routines and plans has not only helped you but led you closer to God because He alone holds the future for you.

Resources for Blog Post:

1. The Importance of Routines

2. Study On Checking Your Phone In The Morning

3. ESV Study Bible by ESV Bibles – This is a good resource if you want to find a solid commentary and background Bible

 

Thank you for reading,

 

David & Lianna Bond