Joy in the Middle
We are a society captivated by the starting line. We celebrate the spark of inspiration, the high-energy launch of a new project, and the bold declaration of a goal. We are wired to love acquiring or starting something new.
The problem is, eventually, after the initial rush of excitement wears off, we find ourselves standing in the middle. The place where we aren’t seeing results yet, and things are getting uncomfortable.
This is where the landscape around us changes. The beauty of the initial motivation has faded, and the daily work begins to feel quiet, repetitive, and seemingly insignificant.
It is in this exact space…the gap between planting a seed and waiting for the harvest, that most dreams are quietly abandoned.
Consistency has probably been one of the deepest personal battles of my life. It’s easy to show up when we are inspired. But as leaders, mothers, and stewards of our callings, we have to understand a fundamental truth: consistency is the key that unlocks the door to our calling.
To find true joy in the journey, we must learn to love the daily tending of the seed, not just the anticipation of the harvest.
Tend the Good Seed
Scripture establishes consistency not as a temporary effort, but as an unyielding law of stewardship, and that what we plant is equally important. In Galatians 6:8-9 (TPT), we are reminded:
“The harvest you reap reveals the seed that you planted. If you plant the corrupt seeds of self-life into this natural realm, you can expect a harvest of corruption. If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life, you will reap beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit. We are reminded here that not only are we to stay consistent in our Spirit-led planting efforts, but that what we sow/plant is what we will harvest/reap.” (Galatians 6:8-9 TPT)
We cannot plant an avocado seed and expect an orange tree. Just as importantly, we cannot plant a weed and expect an oak tree. We either plant seeds that are life-giving and, when tended, propel us in the direction God has called us to, or we plant seeds that detract from or even take life away from that calling.
Many of us are quite good at planting seeds when the Spirit leads. However, planting is only the beginning; consistency is the daily process of keeping that seed alive. A seed placed in the soil that is never watered, weeded, pruned, or tended to will not survive. And the wrong seed will do more harm than good.
Consistency is the daily stewardship of showing up to do the quiet, unglamorous work, even when there is no visible proof of growth.
The Divine Science of Habits
It is a beautiful testament to our Creator that His spiritual laws are perfectly mirrored in our biology. When we read books like Jeff Olson’s The Slight Edge or James Clear’s Atomic Habits, we aren’t looking at brand-new wisdom. We are looking at ancient biblical principles being applied to modern behavior.
Highly successful individuals in business, sports, finance, and leadership prosper because they align themselves with the laws of consistency, even when it feels mundane and uncomfortable. God built this truth into the fabric of creation.
In fact, God designed our physical brains to support this act of obedience through a process called neuroplasticity when we walk with him in endurance.
When you first begin a new discipline, your brain relies heavily on the prefrontal cortex. This is the region responsible for executive function, decision-making, and willpower. This is why the first few weeks of starting anything new, anything that stretches you, can feel so exhausting. Your brain is expending maximum cognitive energy to carve out a brand new path.
However, as you consistently repeat the action, God’s brilliant engineering kicks in. The brain gradually shifts control of that behavior to the basal ganglia, called the habit center.
In her landmark study on habit formation, psychologist Dr. Phillippa Lally discovered that it takes an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic (Lally et al., 2010). If you are struggling around day 15, it isn’t a sign of personal failure; your brain is simply in the middle of processing this new thing.
We also see beautiful real-life examples of what happens when we push through the middle in Jeff Olson’s The Slight Edge: if you improve by just 1% every single day, compound interest makes you 37 times better by the end of a single year (Olson, 2013).
Small, seemingly invisible daily disciplines yield exponential results. This is the natural and spiritual law of compounding stewardship.
Endurance
Too often, we lean so heavily on “grace” that we use it as an excuse for passivity. We use grace to justify sitting on our hands, leaving our seeds untended, and avoiding the uncomfortable, daily actions God has clearly nudged us toward.
God’s word addresses this in 1 Corinthians 15:58 (TPT):
“So now, beloved ones, stand firm, stable, and enduring. Live your lives with an unshakable confidence. We know that we prosper and excel in every season by serving the Lord, because we are assured that our union with the Lord makes our labor productive with fruit that endures.”
“Stand” is a word of active defiance and solid posture. It is in the standing, despite the storm, despite the dry season, despite our feelings, that breakthroughs occur.
And we know we do not stand in our own power.
Hebrews 13:8 (TPT) reminds us that “Jesus, the Anointed One, is always the same—yesterday, today, and forever.”
He is our ultimate pattern of consistency. When our discipline wavers, His character does not.
The Seed of Us
As leaders, mothers, and professionals, we tend to take consistent, daily action to care for and guide those around us. However, there are times when, in doing so much for those around us, we neglect to care for ourselves.
Learning to care for myself as He would have me do was one of the most difficult lessons I had to learn. It was far easier to put all of my time and effort into others, without realizing that an empty cup has no life to give.
Part of caring for the seed God has given us means having the courage to seek assistance when we are stuck. There is no shame in seeking therapy, inner healing, or professional coaching. The way we see ourselves can be distorted by old wounds or patterns. At times like this, we need an unbiased third party to help us dig deeper, heal, and move forward into wholeness.
Seeing ourselves as God does and loving ourselves as He calls us to love all of His children (don’t forget, you are also one of His children) is foundational for learning to care for these seeds as He would.
Walking It Out: The Rule of Three
To prevent ourselves from being pulled off course by distractions, the “bright, shiny objects” that constantly vie for our attention, we must establish daily boundaries.
I anchor my days with a simple discipline: Choose the Three, with One Foundation.
Every morning, I identify three non-negotiable tasks for the day. If nothing else is accomplished, those three must be finished. And of those three, there is one absolute, non-negotiable priority: my time with Him. Time spent in devotion, prayer, praise, and meditation on his Word.
This is the anchor. When we consistently seek an intimate relationship with the Father first, He provides the supernatural capacity to tend to everything else He has called us to.
When we spend too much time looking at how distant the horizon or our dreams appear, we often forget to look at the seed in front of us, to show up, and water it. He is always there as our compass. When our primary focus is on Him, we are not looking at how distant the goal is, and we are finding joy in the journey.
The Long Game of Stewardship
Ultimately, consistency is not about achieving flawless perfection overnight; it is about the quiet discipline throughout the journey. This is particularly true in the middle, the proving ground where an ordinary effort transforms into a legacy of faithful stewardship.
When we align our daily habits with the natural laws of compounding growth and the spiritual laws of active endurance, the seemingly mundane steps we take today begin to carry supernatural weight. Our brains begin to rewire, and our capacity will expand. The labor that once felt exhausting will eventually become second nature.
We must stop measuring our success by how close we are to the finish line and start measuring it by our willingness to tend the seed we planted daily. The harvest you are waiting for is entirely dependent on the unglamorous, repetitive disciplines you choose to sustain when no one else is watching.
Do not let the distance to the horizon paralyze you. Do not allow the comfort of the distractions along the way to keep you seated. God has already provided the blueprint, the biological wiring, and the spiritual endurance you need.
Choose your three non-negotiables today. Which of these is the top priority among the three? Protect your anchor. Look at the seed directly in front of you today, tend it with the Father, for He is the Master gardener.