Hey Y’all!
I’m so excited to share with you guys today. I can’t believe it’s already April! Time has been flying by so quickly. It’s been forcing me to take a moment to step back and take a look back at life and what I’ve been doing so far. I realized that there’s a lot I’m doing, and so much more I could be putting my hand to. There’s so many things on my heart I want to do, but I can’t sit around and expect “something magical to happen” as my buddy John would say. That’s not to say I haven’t done anything, I mean this blog is proof alone. However, there’s always more, with the Lord there is ALWAYS more. But with that being said, what’s on your heart? What’re things you want to accomplish? What has God called you to? What are the steps you’re taking? Have you made time to read that book so you can reach your goal for the year? Are you recording those melodies you’ve been hearing? I encourage you to do the thing. Do the things the Lord has put on your heart. Don’t waste away time! It’s so valuable and you’ll never get it back. It’s really sobering when you compare how much time you spend on your couch getting lazier than you do doing things that are more worthwhile. So DO THE THING.
Clearly doing the thing requires some plan and action. You can’t have one without the other. The Word says the Lord blesses the works of our hands and He has plans for us that are to prosper us, give us hope, and a future. It also says He gives us the desires of our hearts. What I’ve learned is that when you grow in your relationship with Christ, His desires become yours. You’ll want to see people saved, you’ll want to do what you’re called to do. The Lord isn’t going to speak things to your heart and wave it in front of your eyes for you to never reach it. God wants to bless us. He even wants to see us succeed. This all comes with following the Lord’s commands though.
1. MAKE A PLAN
Anything in life revolves around a plan. How much or how little you plan is entirely up to you, but the amount you do can help you do the thing well or poorly. Proverbs 16:3 says commit your actions to the Lord and you will succeed. I highly recommend that whole chapter, it’s about life, planning, and wisdom. But you can’t go into something blindly. If you tell yourself you want to lose 20 pounds, you can’t wake up and just go about your day as normal. You need to make a plan. You need to make time to sort out how to do it. When you make your plan, commit the actions of that plan to the Lord and you’ll succeed. One of my favorite things I’ve been noticing throughout the Old Testament is when people like Joshua were told “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” (Joshua 1:8). When you honor the Lord in your choices and plans (as long as they’re in line with the Word) He’ll give you success. You want to succeed in your plans, so dedicate things to the Lord. What’s the goal and how does it benefit the kingdom? Even if it’s working out, keeping yourself healthy enables a long life where you can benefit the kingdom whether it’s through business, ministry, being a great parent, etc.
Now to practically make a plan here are some ideas. Set some goals, give them some time frames to work with, OH, and make these goals reasonable! That is so important! Unrealistic goals set unrealistic expectations which can lead to disappointment and that can lead you to not trying again. If your goal is to read 52 books in a year but you didn’t ever read 4 last year maybe start with a book each month. If your goal is to start a business, start with some research and making a business plan. I knew nothing about designing graphics or designing a website well so the Lord graced me with an amazing best friend who was excited to get in on the fun and has helped me build Pacifico. But to get here, I had to be realistic and realize I needed a plan and couldn’t go in blindly.
It was the very beginning of 2020 when the Lord told me to write again. Months later I shared that with Bri and made her keep me accountable. I told her “you have to make sure I go through with this or I’ll convince myself not to.” I just knew that I couldn’t do it until I was done with college. So when July came and I had my degree in my hand, I knew it was time to get serious. The next month I made a plan, drew out some logos for Bri to bring to life on the computer. After that, I picked a date to launch it by and organized a plan to get to that date. That involved social posts, writing descriptions for the website, and creating a schedule for the posts. My goal this year was to start the blog and launch it. Almost pushed it to March but I knew I needed to plan for January and did. What helped me most is that I had someone keeping me accountable. Actually I had a few people. Their names are Bri, David, and Zoraiya. They made sure I followed through with the plan.
Friends who keep you accountable are important for big and small goals. There’s a list of goals I have for this year on my wall right under my pictures and every morning I see it and one day (since I share a room) I turned to Bri and said I was happy to see that I’m actually moving forward with 70% of the goals on my list, but I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I didn’t take the time to have planned out and decide what they were alongside her keeping me accountable. Good friends are important, especially the ones who keep you in line. However, ultimately YOU need to decide to be disciplined and do the thing. So grab your notebook and your favorite pen or grab your phone and open your notes later today and write down some goals and start thinking of steps to do the thing.
2. DO THE THING
It’s important to not spend years and years planning and take action. Rip the bandaid off! It’s so important to do the thing because you will rob yourself from the endless possibilities of the good that can come from it. The Word says He blesses the works of our hands. That means we have to put our hand to something and He’ll bless that. For me it’s writing and music. So I make plans and here I have a blog and have other projects I work on, but the Lord has been blessing what I’ve been doing by bringing people in who want to read and giving me the space to share with people. In the parable of the talents from Matthew 25:14-30 there are three servants and their master gives them each a different amount. Two out of the three servants multiplied what they were given but the one servant who was given one buried it and it was left as is. The ones who multiplied were told “well done my good and faithful servant” while the other one was not given a kind statement. The one who buried his thought he was doing right, but he robbed himself of the multiplication he could’ve had if he wasn’t scared and would just be willing to invest in what he was given and jump the gun. Don’t let the things on your heart go to waste buried into the ground. I think that’s something that genuinely breaks my heart to see. So many people have gifts and they’re scared to step out of things or get scared of failure. You need to get over yourself and the “what ifs” that are negatives. If there is one “what if” that is good, it should be enough to try. Don’t waste away time not doing things you care about or want to try.
Doing this blog was me doing the thing. It was something that I was genuinely nervous about. The thing that motivated me was that if this blog could help at least one person out. I love Christmas and wrote a Christmas song with my closest friends this past year. I was a little uncertain about it, but even if one person heard it and smiled it would be enough. The experience I’ve had starting this blog, working with my best friend on it, hearing what people have had to say about how it’s helped them is unmatched. I want to be someone God looks to that says yes and is willing to do the thing. This is all just out of obedience to be honest. Writing the song with my friends and putting it out there was such a great bonding experience I would’ve missed out on if I had stayed stuck in choosing to not write anymore. Deciding to make time to read weekly has been a goal that I was so excited and still am to achieve because I loved reading and missed out on it with college. I mean I read in college, but it wasn’t the same because it was in the middle of such a busy schedule. Now I can take the time to enjoy it.
The point is, there’s so much to do in life whether it’s big and small. If there’s something you want to do and it’s not against the Word do it, especially if it makes you happy. You get one shot at life here on earth so enjoy it. Read the book, go to the gym, start that business, eat healthier, go on that trip, write the blog, sketch what you see, and DO THE THING. Everyone is called to do different things and have different goals. That’s not a bad thing. I wasn’t supposed to go to a liberal arts college for four years, I was supposed to go to bible college and I did. Don’t ever get hung up on what ifs, it’s not worth it. Remember that ONE good possibility is good enough to try. Think of the people it can bless, including yourself. Don’t be like the servant who buried their talent in the ground and got nothing out of it but be the two who multiplied. So get your pen and paper out or open your notes app on your phone and write a plan out. Set goals, make timelines, and do thing. It’s so worth it. If I didn’t do the thing I wouldn't be here writing to you all but it is one of the most special things I’m thankful I said yes to and decided to go through with doing. It’s so worth it to set out to accomplish things. Just watch how things pan out and multiply in your life even if it’s as simple as multiplying your joy. Do the thing.
Sincerely,
Keziah-Grace Lopes
