"Great Britain’s professional cycling team had only one only won one Olympic medal since 1908. In 110 years of the biggest cycling race, the Tour de France, no British cyclist had ever won the event. Things were so bad that one of England’s top bike manufacturers refused to sell bikes to the team because they were afraid it would hurt their sales. That all changed in 2003 when they hired Dave Brailsford as their performance director. What made him different from previous coaches was his commitment to making small changes. He said, 'The whole principle came from the idea that if you broke down everything you could think of that goes into riding a bike, and then improve it by 1%, you would get a significant increase when you put them altogether'” (Atomic Habits, pg. 13 & 14).
Brailford and his coaches made changes in everything from the seat to putting alcohol on the tires for better grip. They even had the riders wear electrically heated shorts to maintain the ideal muscle temperature. They worked to find a fabric for riders that provided better wind resistance. Their goal: making just 1% improvements in every possible area. Within five years of Brailford's coaching overhaul, the team would win 60% of the gold medals for road and track cycling at the 2008 Olympics. In the 2012 London Olympics, they set nine Olympic records and seven world records. That same year Bradley Wiggins became the first British cyclist to win the Tour De France. The next year his teammate, Chris Froomer, won the race, going on to winning in 2015, 2016, and 2017, giving the British team five victories in six years.
The Bible compares the Journey to Oneness with God to an Olympic athlete, reflecting the discipline needed for creating habits that put them in a position to win the coveted gold medal of intimacy with God.
Did you not know that in a race all the runners run [their very best to win], but only one receives the prize? Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours! Now every athlete who [goes into training and] competes in the games is disciplined and exercises self-control in all things. They do it to win a crown that withers, but we [do it to receive] an imperishable [crown that cannot wither] (1 Corinthians 9:24 & 25, Amplified).
The Bible points out that if athletes do all of this to win an earthly medal, how much more should we be willing to create healthy habits to know the Creator of the Universe. There are all kinds of programs for getting into physical shape with diet and exercise. Today, there is also more awareness regarding good mental health. However, when it comes to God, how often do we hear about being in good spiritual shape? Developing good habits to strengthen our relationship with God is important. Our habits form who we are. There is a saying: "Sow a thought, reap an action, sow an action reap a habit, sow a habit reap a character and sow a character reap your destiny. Put another way: we make choices and those choices make us.
God is inviting us to live in His presence, to live in the rhythm of a life with Him. Jesus prayer, recorded in John 17:3, reflects this: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." So, what are some good habits to develop to guide us in that path of knowing God?
In our podinar Journey to Oneness with God we cover four habits that are essential in that journey. We share how to develop the habit to SEE the beauty of God on a daily basis. Then, MEDITATE on what you SEE, so you can process and digest it. Followed by ACCEPTing it as your own, something God is saying to you, allowing yourself to be loved by God. Finally, REST in the rhythm of being loved by God and giving love to others. These four simple habits will guide you along your journey of life growing closer and closer with God, who is Love. Just click on the link, and let the journey begin: loveshaped.life/podcast
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