The "Do What You Can" Plan (Ebook Shorts): 21 Days to Making Any Area of Your Life Better

By Holley Gerth

No matter what change you'd like to see in your life, you can make progress in just three weeks with this devotional that guides you closer to God's best for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781441243058

Holley Gerth

Holley Gerth is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, speaker, and cofounder of (in)courage.me—an online home for the hearts of women. Holley also encourages thousands of readers through her blog at www.HolleyGerth.com. She is wife to Mark and mom to Lovelle.

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Introduction

If you’ve ever made a goal or resolution and not kept it, this is for you.

If you’ve ever said, When things get back to normal, then I’ll . . . , this is for you.

If you’ve ever felt too tired to do what you know you really need to do, this is for you.

True change really is possible.

And it can start here and now.

Our culture tells us that we have to Go big or go home. But research on change reveals a very different story: it’s the small things that make the greatest difference over time. And with God as our partner in the process, that’s amplified even more.

This is your moment. Are you ready to simply do what you can for the next twenty-one days? No matter what you’ve already tried or been through, there’s a yes still being spoken somewhere deep inside you.

So let’s get going on the steps that will lead to a better, brighter future for you.

1

Start Small

Sow your seed in the morning,

and at evening let your hands not be idle,

for you do not know which will succeed,

whether this or that,

or whether both will do equally well.

Ecclesiastes 11:6

Big impact.

Significant results.

Maximum volume.

The phrases leap out at me from one commercial after another as I sigh and shake my head. I realize these are just advertising ploys. Yet I often translate the same attitude to my everyday life. I set lofty goals. I want to achieve great things. I want to do it all or none at all.

Have you ever felt the same way?

It seems God’s perspective is far different. Even the amount of faith we need is described as a mustard seed, which is tiny. If you hold one in the palm of your hand, it’s barely a speck. It’s not the size of our faith but instead the One we’re placing it in that matters. He enables us to do all things. Perhaps it’s time to shrink the change you have in mind down to a more manageable size.

Think about what you want. Pray about it. Talk to your trusted friends. Decide on the minimum you’d like to accomplish in a particular area of your life over the next twenty-one days. Then divide that by about half. Yep, you heard me.

I want you to aim lower. Take it down a notch. Make your goal less lofty.

If you’re feeling a twinge of panic, that’s a good sign. Because although it may feel uncomfortable to think this way, here’s the reality: a small goal that actually happens and can grow is better than the grandest one that remains a fantasy.

Don’t worry—we’re not throwing out the big dreams you have. In fact, this process is going to make them more likely to become reality. We’ll get to that later.

But right now? One small goal. That’s what we’re starting with, my friend.

And just twenty-one days because research has shown that’s how long it takes to make a new habit.

We serve a great God who can grow what we begin into more than we can imagine. But before he can do so, we have to make the first move and start the process. He gave us the ability to take action because he wants us to freely move forward rather than him forcing our steps. He will wait patiently until we choose to begin. Don’t let unrealistic expectations or idealistic ambitions hold you back any longer.

God can handle the big. When you start out, it’s okay for your part to simply be the small.

Find a journal or other place you can write your reflections throughout this twenty-one-day journey. Today, reflect on your goal and write it down in one sentence