[From Mark =
Connor, 32 years a senior pastor in Melbourne, =
Australia]
A church youth =
group leader wanted to encourage his teens to read the bible =
more.
He started by =
challenging each of them to touch their bible once a day for a week. =
“But don’t you dare open it, or you’ll be kicked out =
of this youth group,” he warned. Of course, to touch their bible, =
they need to know where it is, a challenge for most teenagers, =
especially considering the state of their rooms.
The following =
week, he issued an additional challenge. “Now, I want you to open =
your Bibles every day. But don’t read a word, or you’ll be =
kicked out of the youth group!” he sternly said. Parents were =
ringing the pastor to complain about this renegade youth group leader =
who doesn’t allow teenagers to read their =
bibles.
The following =
week, the leader challenged them to read one verse from their Bibles =
every day. “But just one verse, or you’ll be kicked out of =
the youth group,” he reminded them.
The following =
week, he encouraged them to read two verses every day. By now, they are =
in the habit of picking up their Bibles and reading from them. =
If he had told =
his youth group to read their Bible every day in week one, most probably =
wouldn’t have even bothered trying, but by setting the bar to a =
low and achievable level, then building it up as the weeks progressed, =
he helped them to start a useful habit.
This utilizes =
the principle that it takes between 3 to 6 weeks to establish a habit. =
By breaking such a timeframe down into weekly sections, the participants =
are more likely to stay on track until the new behavior becomes =
ingrained.
I don’t =
know what your goals are for the new year or what habits you want to =
create for your life. What I do know is that by starting with bite-sized =
chunks, you can build momentum that will create a useful habit that will =
hold you in good stead for the future.
Do you want to =
run a marathon? Don’t try to run 26 miles tomorrow; try ambling =
around the block first. And then do it again, and again, gradually =
building as you go.
Do you want to =
save for your retirement? Don’t try to put aside half of next =
week’s pay packet, try writing a budget and put aside what you can =
afford. And then do it again, and again, gradually building as you =
go.
Do you want to =
climb Mt. Everest? Don’t book your ticket to Nepal just yet; try =
building up your fitness and climbing skills on more realistic mountains =
first. And then do it again, and again, gradually building as you =
go.
It’s =
great to have big goals. But remember that they start with small steps =
that slowly become habits of life.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin =
[email protected] www.grif.net =
"Jesus Knows Me, This I =
Love!"