What have you labeled as negotiable?

We are eight days into the new year. How are those resolutions coming along?

If you find yourself struggling to maintain your new healthy habits, allow me to offer a new perspective.

A few nights ago I was sitting on the edge of my bed, phone in hand, ready to set my morning alarm. I typically wake up pretty early (say 4-5am), but the past few weeks have been a struggle. With the holidays and work projects and caring for two toddlers, I hadn’t gotten much sleep.

To be clear, I love my early morning routine. The house is quiet. It’s my time to read God’s word and spend time in prayer. I make a huge cup of coffee and reset my mind before the busyness of the day sets in.

When I don’t set aside those precious morning hours, my body notices. I am more irritable, less focused, less patient with my kids.

These morning hours are gold. And yet, as I sat on the edge of my bed I made the decision to sleep in. This wasn’t a one-off event. I had slept in for the last several days. This was becoming a habit.

If the kids sleep good tonight, maybe I’ll wake up early and read my Bible, I thought.

Right then, I felt the Holy Spirit tug on heart and whisper, Why is time with God negotiable?

Why is time with God negotiable? I have replayed this question many times in my head.

The truth is, we do treat certain things in life as “negotiable” or “non-negotiable.” Various aspects of our lives seem unmovable, so we treat them as such. The question becomes, are we labeling the right “non-negotiables”?

Is having good health negotiable?

Is growing spiritually with the Lord negotiable?

Is loving your neighbor and helping the poor negotiable?

If you’re struggling with your new healthy habits, perhaps the issue may stem from the underlined decision to make that thing negotiable.

Decide today what your non-negotiables are, and live accordingly.