It Can Always Be Day 1

It’s never too late to try something new. There’s always a chance to try something new or to begin again. It’s easy to get frustrated when we struggle to maintain new habits or leave old ones behind. Although setbacks are always hard, you can always get back to day 1. Progress is often two steps forward and one step back. Perfection isn’t required, just a willing heart.

If you’re trying something new, then plan well for it. Understand the requirements and potential setbacks that can occur. Never underestimate the difficulty involved with trying something new, but just as importantly, never underestimate the value involved with succeeding and bearing through those difficulties.

I’ve had my fair share of hard times. Every single one of those hard times offered an opportunity to gain something worth even more than the foreseeable benefits. The most worthwhile benefits are the intrinsic ones - the benefits that no one physically sees but everyone can feel. Development of character, wisdom, and discernment is more valuable than anything you can touch.

I’ve never come close to perfection, but the person I am today is not the same person that was ten years ago. Maturity is not guaranteed with age. You need to consciously make a decision to choose the right path and develop yourself. Additionally, development isn’t found by searching within yourself. Only God can give you the insight you need to fully understand yourself. You cannot be your own teacher.

These days, popular teachings encourage people to love themselves unconditionally. While it seems great to love and accept yourself, what’s to prevent a criminal from believing that what they’re doing is totally fine because they justify their actions through an unconditional self-love? It becomes too relative and the room for leniency demands a line of what’s appropriate. Everyone deserves a chance to be forgiven, but your lifestyle must show that you are socially and morally responsible for your actions.

While friends, family, and experiences can teach you a lot about yourself, God is the only guide. It can be frustrating to learn this way because God doesn’t speak to you like your friends or family would. He is much more subtle, and requires discipline. You cannot expect God to teach you anything if you say you believe in Him but disrespect His words and don’t live in a lifestyle which is trusting of what He says is beneficial to you.

You can always start back at day 1. No one is expecting you to be a perfect person and it’s not required of you. Take the time, and understand everything is its own process. Just because it may seem the same troubles are easier for another person doesn’t mean that you’re doing something wrong. Everyone has their own unique struggles and their own time in which they learn different lessons. All you need to do is be wiling to try. God will take care of you; He knows what you need and will provide what’s necessary when it’s needed.