You in Five YearsChikamu

January 21 is a depressing day.

Why? January 21 is the day when most New Year's resolutions are broken. Most of us think about intensity when it comes to change. We make a long list of all the things we're going to do. We get motivated at the beginning of a new year, but motivation doesn't last long, so we stop.

Think consistency rather than intensity concerning change.

Scripture teaches us the power of consistency. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes, "Therefore, my brothers and sisters be steadfast, immovable, always abounding and excelling in the Lord's work because you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Galatians 6 includes a similar reminder. "Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we do not give up."

When making changes, it's not about intensity (how hard you can go or how perfectly you can keep all those habits). Change is consistency—day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.

Remember the principle from day one? We tend to overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what God can do in five years. That overestimation is thinking about intensity. That underestimation is overlooking the power of consistency.

Levi Lusko shared a story in his You in Five Years sermon that captured my attention.

He said that a study was done in Australia with 900 39-year-olds (I was 39 when I heard the message, so he had my attention!) who were split into two groups. The first group was told, "Wear sunscreen whenever it's sunny. Whenever you go out to the beach on a bright summery day, put on a high-powered sunscreen. Lather up on those days."

The second group received different instructions. "Wear SPF 15 sunscreen every day."

SPF 15 sounded too mild to make a difference, but Lusko said four years passed (which was close enough to feel relevant to the "You in Five Years" idea). The researchers brought the 900 people back to compare the photos taken four years ago with a new photo.

When it came to group one (those who only put sunscreen on when it was sunny), everyone admitted that their before-and-after photos revealed visible signs of aging in the entire group. However, when they brought in group two (those who put on SPF 15 every day), everyone looked at their photos, and there were no discernible signs of aging.

A straightforward habit, daily sunscreen application, made a visible difference. Lusko concluded, "What's true of your skin is also true of your soul."

If God gives you life for another five years, it will be the things that you did consistently that made you that person who looks more like Christ, not the things that you did intermittently or with short bursts of intensity. You will be who you are by God's grace, and His grace towards you will not be in vain. Yes, there is hard work ahead, but that hard work will be empowered and sustained by God's grace. You don't have to stay where you are, and future-you doesn't have to be an exaggerated version of present-you!

I hope this plan encouraged you! Click here for more encouragement and complimentary access to my "You in Five Years Next Steps Guide" to help you act on what you've read on this plan.