5-10 minute hack to use the Bible to stay focused
Hi Beloved!
Earlier this week I started second-guessing myself.
Will people be annoyed by getting tips for staying focused over a month into the new year? Is it just plain weird?
But then I started thinking about how it can be so darn easy to get overwhelmed by #allthethings that sometimes we can beat ourselves up for not having “gotten it all together” by January 31.*
Dates on the calendar don’t dictate your worth or value.
God does – and He says you are immeasurably precious to Him.
Romans 8:38-39 says that nothing can separate us from God’s love.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the learning curve in developing new habits and mindsets also applies!
… which brings us to today’s tip for staying focused on your word/phrase of the year.
Choose Bible verses to read and memorize that reinforce your word/phrase. Focus on one at a time.
We’re assuming that you want to focus on a mindset/habit that helps you be more like Jesus đ
Real-life practical application: Focusing on joy and being more playful with monthly verses
For 2023, I decided to focus on being more playful in my faith walk, marriage, parenting, business, etc.
Sometimes I take life too seriously and I wanted more lightness in my life. (Plus having an energetic little kid at home is a big incentive to be more silly! My husband also wanted to focus on joy. #winning)
God’s Word is also jam-packed with encouragement to seek joy – so why not invite Him into this mindset shift?
You see, each month, my family picks a new Bible verse to memorize together. (It’s on a whiteboard by the dining table with the goal of saying it together at mealtimes.) We searched the Bible for verses focusing on joy and picked those as our family verses.
BAM.
Easy peasy intentional steps… and a great way to memorize more of God’s Word!
When you say or read something 20+ times (sometimes we forgot), it tends to stick.
Your homework: Pick a verse (or more) to read regularly that helps you focus on your word/phrase
- Look it up! This probably ought to take about 5-10 minutes if you do a quick digital Bible search.
- Put it somewhere you’ll actually read it. A Post-It note, phone screensaver, on a whiteboard, a daily reminder, on the front of your planner – wherever will help you really simmer in the verse and encourage you.
Whew! That’s plenty for today. I’ll be in touch again with a few more tips + real-life application stories to help you get and stay focused, plus a bonus invite soon. Hit reply if you did the homework!
Here’s to you embracing who God created you to be (you’re pretty awesome) so you can confidently step into any season with passion, purpose, and peace! â
Cortney â
* P.S. Honestly, isn’t that ridiculous? If your friend or child was like, “I’m a failure because I don’t have my life figured out by now!” you’d probably be like, “What?! That’s crazy! Don’t be so hard on yourself. You have been making so much progress and are an amazing person – with or without all the boxes checked. Whoever said you had to conquer everything now anyway?!” Let’s treat ourselves with that same kind of affirmation and support, eh?
Iâm Cortney, a recovering over-achiever and Godâs beloved who loves helping fellow Christian women like you embrace your God-given gifts so you have the confidence to live authentically.
Iâm also a full-time mama to two sweet little boys, wife to my best friend, motivational speaker, and part-time Christian life coach. Chai lattes, strong coffee, podcasts, yoga, dance, and fairy tales nourish my soul and add sweetness to life.
Discovering the joy of embracing my God-given gifts and who He created me to be was a game-changerâa journey that brought freedom, unexpected delights, and relief from guilt. Finally, I felt free to be myself and ditch the pressure of being someone I wasnât.
Incorporating those gifts into my dayâfrom weekly planning to deciding on commitments, nurturing my marriage, and parentingâtransformed everything. Now, I canât imagine life without the perspective of fully embracing who God created me to be. I was missing so much without it!
