Over the last month, I have not been exercising and eating appropriately. I had gone through a season of being pretty disciplined with this stuff, but over the last month or so I have drifted from those habits and disciplines. This got me thinking about “the drift.” It is so easy to move from healthy habits, disciplines and decisions into a new direction. And here is what I realized (and it should not shock me or anyone else)…when we drift, we almost never drift towards healthier habits and disciplines. I know I never find myself moving from really productive disciplines and then accidentally stumbling into even better disciplines. The drift almost always takes us away from what is best or at least pretty good and moves us into the arena of something worse.
This led to some important questions:
- Where am I currently drifting?
- How do I keep from drifting?
- What do I do to become aware of a current drift?
We all drift and when we do, it almost always never takes us to a better place.
- What are ways to keep my vision/ goals more clearly in front of me?
A Pastor's Thoughts 
I couldn’t have said it any better how I am currently feeling. It’s a slipper slope and when going down it there is definitley a snowball effect
I am currently in a practice of exercising on an exercise bike, and I usually drift most during times of celebration and holidays. I try to pedal at least once a day at the same time every day, and if not I try to do it later that day. I took a course on Health, and I discovered some of the healing benefits of working out, including a calming effect.
How true! I am currently ill directly related to poor nutritional choices. The “Drift” happens and THEN you realize it. How I wish I could drift back as easily as I drifted here. However, it will take daily focused effort . I have found that educating myself about the right choices helps me keep focus. This includes posting notes and reminders (facts) in several places I will see. I have also found I need God’s help to develop good disciplines. If I sincerely seek His help He won’t fail me and it reinforces the importance of my desire to make the right choices. “Of myself, I am nothing.”
When I have a vision/big picture for my future that lines up with what God wants for me, I try to fill in the details of my life to make that big picture happen. If an idea or activity doesn’t fit in my big picture, I end up discarding the distraction. There are lots of things that will try to derail your discipline – don’t let it happen. This time of year will take you off course temporarily for a day or two, but don’t let more than 3 days go by without getting back into your exercise routine. This way your metabolism won’t change and when January comes, you won’t need to lose weight…..