Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.
Matthew 9:17
Routines are the undercurrents of life. They steer us in a direction and can change the course of our lives and emotional state. We’re not often aware of them, but we feel the effects of their presence or absence.
What I love most about the scripture above is that it highlights the importance and need for change. If you desire change to occur in your life, you need to change the structure, wineskins, of your life. If you want to eat healthily, grow in your relationships, begin to walk in the things God has called you to do, you’re going to need to make some changes to the routines and structures in your life to accommodate those new or existing things.
Sometimes we fail at something, not because we don’t have what it takes or the ability to do it, but because we don’t shift things around in our lives to make room for it.
An area I’m growing in at the moment is getting into a routine of meal prepping to sustain a healthy diet. Sometimes I fail to eat healthy not because I don’t have the right foods in the fridge or because I don’t know what meals to make. If I fail, it’s often because I don’t change my week’s structure and routines to make room and give the time needed for meal prepping.
Instead of restricting us and limiting our freedom and spontaneity, routines help bring order and structure to our lives by sorting through what’s essential and not.
The predictability of a routine provides a sense of security and stability within ourselves and our relationship. Routines can shift our soul’s atmosphere from feeling stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, and fatigued to peaceful, relaxed, and content, knowing that everything significant has a dedicated place in our day, week, or month.
In the beginning, making those changes and establishing a routine will take effort and may come with feelings of frustration or even failure, but don’t give up. What often begins with trial and error develops into an unseen steady rhythm, gains momentum, and sets you on a trajectory to your desired goal.
PAUSE – PRAY – PROGRESS
Sometimes the best place to start is to ask yourself, what do you want your life, walk with God, family, friendships, health, weekends, home, prayer life, etc., to look like? Then work backward. What are the routines you need to put in place that will lead you there?