I’ve been reading a book called Do the New You by Steven Furtick for my ladies’ Bible study and the section I read yesterday was about how we can start acting like the person we want to be one day.

This concept struck me as I read about it because so often we read or hear about setting goals and working toward them but not how to get there. We might hear “one step at a time” or “slow and steady wins the race” but the idea of acting now like you want the future you to act is compelling to me. It flipped my thoughts around.

In the book, Pastor Steven gives examples like if you want to be kinder then stop and think to  yourself, “What would future me do in this situation?”

Pastor Steven also suggests not trying to do all you can do to be the future you because that can be overwhelming. Do the one thing in that moment that the future you that you want to be would do.

Whatever that one thing is for you is what the Holy Spirit will bring to your mind or point you toward.

The first thing that came to my mind as I filled out the study guide questions this morning was eating better and losing weight. The future me wants/needs to get the weight off. I do not eat horribly. I don’t eat a ton of sweets or fast food or sodas. I do eat a couple of things that are not good for me – wheat or gluten and dairy.

I seem to feel much better off both of them but both are a temptation to me.

There is so much I could do to lose weight but when I read about the idea of doing what the future you would do I thought, “the future me wouldn’t eat a sandwich or sneak something with gluten because it’s easier or tastes good. The future me would find an alternative that doesn’t include bread.”

So today when I reached for bread to make a sandwich, I found one of my rice cakes instead and put peanut butter on it.

When I thought about pouring a mug of milk to make some hot cocoa, I made tea instead.

This doesn’t mean I’ll never eat gluten or dairy again, but it means that the future me will do so sparingly until the future me finds substitutes that will fill me up and are quick to make.

I can’t do these things, one at a time, on my own. I need God to support me, to remind me I can do all things through his son Jesus.

I need him to help me do that one thing I need to do to become the person not only I want to become but he wants me to become.

I do want to clarify that I don’t mean that God wants us all to look a certain way or be skinny.

I do, however, believe he wants us to not give up on being a better version of ourselves inside.

I’ll leave with this quote from the book: “Do the thing you would do. Don’t wait. Do whatever you can, no matter how small, that moves you in the direction of the thing you would do if you could.”