Hey friend—it’s Tricia here.
If I’m honest, there are mornings when I’d rather scroll than study, when my Bible sits unopened while my to-do list screams. But the longer I’ve walked with Jesus, the more I’ve realized: motivation doesn’t show up first—obedience does.
The spark of joy comes after the first small “yes.”
Join me for this honest conversation about how we can stay motivated (and grace-filled!) in our daily time with God.
Remember: You’re Meeting a Person, Not Checking a Box
For years, I treated Bible reading like a spiritual chore chart. But God never asked me to earn His love—He invited me to enjoy it.
When I started picturing my quiet time as meeting with a dear friend instead of completing a task, everything shifted. Some days, I whisper prayers between interruptions. Other days, I linger long with a cup of tea. Either way, He’s there.
Don’t chase perfection—pursue presence.
I used to wait until I “felt spiritual” to open my Bible, but I realized that the feeling comes after the faithfulness. The moment we show up, God meets us in the ordinary. It’s like He’s saying, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Make It Simple (and Start Small)
If you’re feeling stuck, begin with something doable. I read one chapter a day—no more, no less. Then I ask three questions:
 
What do I learn about God?
What step of obedience do I need to take?
How will I obey today?
That’s it. No fancy plan, no pressure. Just connection.
I’ve found that pairing my Bible reading with something I already do—like coffee or my morning walk—makes it a habit, not a hassle. Habit stacking turns desire into discipline.
On days when you can’t focus? Listen to the Daily Bible Podcast in the car. Start with small, stay with steady.
Create Prayer Triggers
Prayer doesn’t have to happen in long, perfect paragraphs. I’ve learned to connect prayer to everyday moments.

• When I start my car → I pray for safety and patience.
• When I wash dishes → I thank God for provision.
• When I see my kids → I bless them under my breath.

Those tiny, consistent moments keep my heart tethered to His.
I even set an alarm on my phone that just says “Pause + Pray.” It’s a gentle nudge reminding me that prayer is a conversation that never ends.
If it crosses your mind, let it cross your lips to God.
When You Don’t Feel Like It—Do It Anyway
There are days when obedience feels dry. When I open my Bible and… nothing. But here’s what I’ve learned: the Word always works, even when we don’t feel it.
Like planting seeds in quiet soil, those moments are shaping our hearts below the surface.
God isn’t testing our performance. He’s training our faithfulness. Every time we show up, we’re declaring, “Lord, You’re worth my time—even when I feel nothing.” That’s worship.
Feelings follow faithfulness.
Build a “Sacred Space” You Actually Love
Sometimes motivation grows when we make the experience beautiful. Light a candle. Pour your coffee. Keep your Bible and journal open on the table.
It doesn’t have to look like Instagram. It just has to feel like invitation.
I keep a “quiet-time basket” with my Bible, pens, sticky notes, and journal. Seeing it ready every morning reminds me that this space is sacred—and I belong here.
When you set the table, God will bring the feast.
Pair Accountability with Grace
When I read Scripture alongside others—through a group, podcast, or reading plan—I stay more consistent. Accountability builds rhythm.
My husband and I share something that stands out from our morning readings. No pressure, no judgment—just encouragement.
Community keeps the flame lit.
Remember Who You’re Becoming
God isn’t looking for perfect students—He’s forming faithful children. Every time you open your Bible or whisper a prayer, you’re shaping your heart to look a little more like His.
When we seek Him daily, even in weakness, we’re living proof that grace works.
The goal isn’t routine—it’s relationship.
A Simple Daily Practice (You Can Start Today)

Step	Practice	Time
1️⃣	Pray first: “My answer is yes, Lord.”	30 seconds
2️⃣	Read one chapter. Obey one verse.	10 minutes
3️⃣	Write one line: “God showed up when…”	2 minutes
4️⃣	Text a friend: “How can I pray for you today?”	1 minute
5️⃣	Rest in silence for 60 seconds.	1 minute

Total: 15 minutes. Eternally worth it.
Final Word
Friend, you don’t need more willpower. Instead, you need to remember why you’re showing up. God isn’t waiting for your perfect schedule. He’s waiting for your surrendered heart. Start small. Show up. He’ll meet you there.
When you stop chasing motivation and start practicing presence, transformation follows.

The book is written to help each of us identify distractions that keep us from living our best, most meaningful life. And then to offer ideas and practical steps to overcome those distractions. Not just today, but every day of our lives going forward.
To accomplish that, the book labels many of the societal assumptions and expectations that keep us from meaning and fulfillment. Because if we want to spend our limited days focused on what matters most, we need to see the world differently than those who seek to profit off us.
To accomplish that, here are seven powerful, life-giving lessons you’ll find inside Things That Matter:

Perspective #1: Fear isn’t protecting us—it’s holding us back.
Most of the time, fear doesn’t show up as panic. It shows up as hesitation, procrastination, and excuses. It sometimes even disguises itself as practicality or good judgment. But in the end, fear too often results in a reluctance to fail, push ourselves, or take a risk that really matters.
Believe it or not, fear is the No. 1 reason people don’t set big goals or even try new things.
Fear convinces us that staying where we are is better than trying. But rarely is that true.
In fact, psychologists have found that regret over inaction lasts longer than regret over action. In other words, we’re more likely to regret the chances we didn’t take than the ones we did.
If we are going to live meaningful lives with fewer regrets, we can’t wait until fear disappears. We need to choose something more important than it to find the courage to overcome.
Perspective #2: Past mistakes don’t have to define our future.
Many people never become who they’re meant to be because they are held back by past mistakes.
As research for the book, I commissioned a nationwide survey. The most heart-breaking statistic from the survey was the discovery that 61% of people feel held back from the future they would like to live because of a mistake in their past. And 55% of people believe wrongs committed against them prevent them from living the future they desire.
There is obviously some overlap in those numbers. But that is a lot of people living in the present who believe their past is keeping them from their future.
I don’t want to oversimplify this statement but: We don’t have to stay stuck in regret. Overcoming regret (and sometimes downright evil) can be difficult and painful, no doubt. But the mistakes of our past only define us if we keep letting them.
Everyone fails. Everyone makes decisions they wish they could undo. No person is perfect. We all face trials and pain. But dwelling on them only gives the past more power than it deserves. Shame keeps us trapped. Agency moves us forward.
No matter what you’ve walked through, there is always purpose ahead.
Perspective #3: Leisure isn’t the goal of life.
We live in a culture that idolizes retirement, vacations, working less, and “finally doing nothing.” But a life aimed only at leisure is rarely fulfilling in the long run.
In fact, studies show too much leisure increases boredom, fatigue, and even depression.
That’s not to say rest doesn’t matter—it does. But rest should contribute to us living our most purposeful life—rather than seeing rest as the purpose of life.
A meaningful life isn’t built by avoiding effort. Just the opposite. It’s found by devoting our whole selves to things that matter.
Perspective #4: Technology should serve us—not master us.
Our devices are designed to steal attention, not restore it. According to a 2023 survey, on average, we check our phones 144 times a day. That’s not a life of intention lived on mission—that’s a life of reaction surrendered to whistles, bells, buzzes, and notifications.
Technology is a powerful tool. In many ways, this blog and the book, Things that Matter, only exist because of it. But when technology controls us, interrupts our relational presence with others, hijacks our focus, or keeps us from rest or deep work, we’re no longer holding a tool—we’ve become the tool.
See technology as a tool and opportunity. Use it to bring good into the world. And reject being the one consumed by it by approaching it with intention and wisdom.
Perspective #5: We don’t drift into purpose—we walk there deliberately.
Rarely does a person stumble into a meaningful life by accident. Without clear direction, our default direction is toward distraction.
The world is full of urgent noise and entities fighting for our attention—things that demand our time but don’t deserve it. That’s why quietness, solitude, clarity, and heartfelt values are so important. They provide direction.
For that reason, we have to take the time to define what matters most, and then let those priorities shape us—every single day.
Purpose doesn’t require a title or platform, but it does require focus. And every step counts.
Perspective #6: Money is a tool, not a scoreboard.
It’s easy to make money the measuring stick of a successful life. But that thinking has a cost.
Study after study confirms that after a certain point, more money does not equal more happiness. And while many of us might agree with the general idea behind that statement, most of us live differently.
In fact, 79% of Americans believe they would be happier if they had more money and 70% of us say the desire for money influences our daily decisions. It is true, of course, that some people would benefit from having more money. But that is not 70% of us.
Something else is causing the desire.
Perhaps we believe money will bring happiness or security—or maybe it’s just how we define success. But sometimes I wonder if wealth alone is truly something to be proud of.
Our money can never be worth more than what we choose to spend it on. Let’s provide for our families, of course. But let’s dream bigger dreams for our life than zeroes in a bank account.
Perspective #7: Doing the right thing is better than doing the popular thing.
We all want to be liked. That’s human. But chasing approval too often leads us away from what we know to be true. In Things That Matter, I identify seven distractions that keep us from living a meaningful life: fear, regret, selfish happiness, money, possessions, accolades, leisure, and technology.
Although different distractions tempt different people, I know the pursuit of praise is a big distraction in my life. But popularity fades. Integrity and a clear conscience last.
We don’t get to control how others respond to our decisions. But we do get to control what kind of person we become and what we choose to pursue.
Living a meaningful life isn’t about impressing others. It’s about becoming someone we’re proud of—whether anyone notices or not.

Things That Matter is about seeing the world differently—so we can live differently.
If you’ve read the book, thank you for being part of this movement toward greater intentionality and purpose. If you haven’t yet, and are looking for help overcoming distraction and living a more meaningful life, I think you’ll find it both inspiring and helpful.
It’s never too late to start living for what matters most.

Borrowed from Joshua Becker on Becoming Minimalist (with my additions)

Every yes is also a no.

This is a principle we know to be true, but often forget. Perhaps we forget it because we fail to accept our limitation. But more likely, in a world where “more” is preached constantly, it can feel countercultural or like a sacrifice to intentionally choose no. Or it can feel, like the argumentative commenter above, that saying “no” will mean we are going to miss out.
But the truth remains: Every time we say yes to something, we are also saying no to something else.
This is not a principle we can argue against or rationalize away. It’s not opinion—it is reality.
Our lives are finite. Our time, money, energy, space, and focus are all finite. We only get so much of each. We all have one less day available on earth than we had yesterday. And once they are used, they’re gone. So whatever we choose to say yes to, we are also choosing to turn away from something else.
Economists call this opportunity cost. Defined in a textbook, it states, “Opportunity cost is the forgone benefit that would have been derived from an option other than the one that was chosen.” In other words, you can only spend your money on one thing—and once you spend it, every other thing you could have bought with it can no longer be purchased.
It’s a helpful term, and the concept plays out far beyond business schools and textbooks.
It shows up in each of our lives—every single day. Every yes is also a no—in our homes, our checkbooks, our calendars, our habits, and our hearts.

• When we say yes to buying an item we don’t need, we say no to something else—paying off debt, getting ahead financially, or an opportunity for generosity, (or tithing).
• When we say yes to another commitment, we say no to every alternative—or simply rest and presence (or time with God).
• When we say yes to another episode of that show on Netflix, we say no to reading (or Bible time) or solitude—or a conversation with our spouse (or time to pray).
• When we say yes to keeping possessions we no longer use, we say no to extra space.
• When we say yes to do something we don’t want to do, we say no to being available for something we do want to do (like serving at church).
• When we say yes to people-pleasing, we say no to choosing our own path ( or God's path for us).
• When we say yes to comparison, we say no to gratitude.
• When we say yes to the urgent, we often say no to the important.

We don’t always think in terms of tradeoffs. Sometimes we just say yes because it feels easier than no.
But over time, those decisions can fill our homes, calendars, and lives with commitments and clutter that keep us from what matters most (what God wants from us). That is the greatest danger.
None of us can say yes to everything. It is wise to learn how to say yes more carefully and to determine the filters you will use to say yes, no, or maybe later.
Life is made up of limited resources—and one precious opportunity to use them well.
So be careful what gets a yes. Because something else always gets a no.
And we only get one life to get it right. (And them our choice for eternity will be permanent)

I am a church member.
I will seek to be a source of unity in the church. I know there are no perfect pastors, staff, or other church members. But neither am I. I will not be a source of gossip or dissension. One of the greatest contributions I can make is to do all I can in God’s power to help keep the church in unity for the sake of the gospel.

I am a church member.
I will not let my church be about my preferences and desires. That is self-serving. I am in this church to serve others and to serve Christ. My Savior went to a cross for me. I can deal with any inconveniences and matters that are just not my preference or style.

I am a church member.
I will pray for my pastor every day. His work is never-ending. His days are filled with constant demands for his time; with the need to prepare sermons; with those who are rejoicing in births; with those who are traveling through the valley of the shadow of death; with critics; with the hurts and hopes of others; and with the need to be a husband and a father. My pastor cannot serve our church in his own power. I will pray for God’s strength for him and his family every day.

I am a church member.
I like the metaphor of membership. It’s not membership as in a civic organization or a country club. It’s the kind of membership given to us in 1 Corinthians 12: “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part  of it” (I Corinthians 12:27). Because I am a member of the body of Christ, I must be a functioning member, whether I am an “eye,” an “ear,” or a “hand.” As a functioning member, I will give. I will serve. I will minister. I will evangelize. I will study. I will seek to be a blessing to others. I will remember that “if one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

I am a church member.
I will lead my family to be good members of this church as well. We will pray together for our church. We will worship together in our church. We will serve together in our church. And we will ask Christ to help us fall deeper in love with this church, because He gave His life for her.

I am a church member.
This membership is a gift. When I received the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, I became a part of the body of Christ. I soon thereafter identified with a local body and was baptized. And now I am humbled and honored to serve and to love others in our church. I pray that I will never take my membership for granted, but see it as a gift and an opportunity to serve others, and to be a part of something so much greater than any one person or member. 
I am a church member. 
And I thank God that I am.