“Consistency” is defined in several different ways:
- a degree of density, firmness, viscosity, etc.
- steadfast adherence to the same pricniples, course, form, etc.
- agreement, harmony, or compatability, especially correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing.
- the condition of cohering or holding together and retaining form; solidity or firmness.*
It comes from the word “consistent” which has the meanings:
- agreeing or accordant; compatible; not self-contradictory.
- constantly adhering to the same principles, course, form, etc.
- holding firmly together; cohering.
- Archaic: fixed, firm.*
To be consistent means then to holdfast in what it is that you want to be consistent. It means that you will live in constant agreement, adhering to the things that are most important to you.
For me, the most important thing is my relationship to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Bible tells me in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we can do them.” I want to be consistent in my relationship with the God that I believe.
Next, my family needs my consistentcy in presence and participation. This takes me being attentive. I’m unfortunately not always as attentive as I should be, but I’m working on it. I need to be sure to be home with my family and I need to speak with them, listen to them, love them, and be an active part of their lives as they are with me.
Then being consistent with my church is vital. Since I’m a member of a local congregation, I want to be consistent in my presence in worship and other Bible studies. I also want to consistently participate in the various planned activities with other members. This takes time and it takes consistency to get to know others and to become friends in the faith that we share.
Finally, my country is of great import in my mind and I desire to be a good citizen. The world–or so it seems–is chaos right now. I want to be consistent in blessing those around me even when everything seems to be chaotic. That means that I need to be kind and do my fair share of what needs to be done to help create a safe community in which to live. I love my country so I want to help take care of it.
Consistency in all of these things is not the easiest all of the time. Sometimes I waver in this one or that one, but these are things of which I want to be consistent. But how can we be consistent to that which we find most important? Let me give you a few steps to help you be consistent.
Evaluate what you find to be most important to you.
Look at your life and discover what is most important to you. Take the time to think through where you desire to be consistent. Ask yourself: Am I consistent with my relationship to Jesus Christ? Am I consistent with my family relationships? Am I consistent with my connection to my church and my faith?
Study the idea of consistency.
Look up what it means to be consistent. You can use a wonderful tool like Google to look up how you can be consistent in the areas that are most important to you. Certainly there are books that can help you train yourself in thinking and acting. As I’ve heard it said before, eat the meat of what you learn and spit out the bones! Not everything you read will be beneficial, but that which is you keep! Keep it and apply it as you learn it!
Work on consistency.
Take the time to work on being consistent. There will be times when you are inconsistent. We all have times when we get tired or anxious or whatever else comes our way. But you don’t have time to give up! You only have time to get back on track and become consistent again. It takes work to have a change of mind. Take the time you need and don’t give up. As each day comes, do something that will help you get in the habit of being consistent.
Reevaluate what you are doing.
Take the time to reevaluate what it is that you have been doing to be consistent. You may find that you need to change something that you are doing. Moreover, you may actually find that what you thought was important to you is not really all that important! If it’s not important, then it’s alright for you to drop that and continue to learn what really is important.
Finally, rejoice in consistency!
When you have a win, then rejoice in it! Celebrate how God continues to bless you in the conistentcy that He is helping you to have. It is through Him that we live our lives–whether we are conistent or inconsistent. It is through Jesus Christ that we can accomplish what it is that He has planned for us.
I realize this is not an exhaustive list by any means. What other ideas do you have to become more consistent in the things that are most important to you?
* Definitions from wwww.dictionary.com