How (Maybe) to Avoid the Exercise Bike Clothes Rack
How to (Maybe) Avoid the Exercise Bike Clothes Rack
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” Luke 16:10 (ESV)
I have a confession. I’m a bit of a sucker for New Year’s resolutions and challenging myself to aspire to some more virtuous, better version of myself at the beginning of every year. However, at this stage in life - having seen this movie far too many times - the inevitable crash-and-burn usually occurs before the Valentine’s Day chocolates hit the clearance section.
Take for instance the exercise bike Christmas present of 2022 that became the fanciest clothes hanger in the house a few weeks later. Or the cello rental contract that I signed last year when I just knew I’d be able to pick up a new instrument with all my ample free time (I should have taken a cue from the exercise-bike-turned-clothes-rack to know that was unrealistic). Or the beautiful leather journal that had the first 50 pages filled in, while the remaining 150 sat blank, years later.
And those are just my most recent examples!
I subscribe to Shane Parrish’s free weekly newsletter called “Brainfood” and a recent quote from it stopped me in my tracks as we head into this new year.
“Ninety percent of success can be boiled down to consistently doing the obvious thing for an uncommonly long period of time without convincing yourself that you're smarter than you are.”
I thought about this quote in context with Jesus’ teaching in Luke 16:10, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.” Clearly, there’s value in doing the little things right over a long stretch of time so that we can get the bigger things right. This is at the heart of formation and discipleship as well - little actions over time can shape our hearts into image bearers of Christ for others.
But Jesus’ words in Luke 16 aren’t primarily about productivity or self-optimization. They come in the middle of a parable about trust. Faithfulness, in Jesus’ telling, is about whether we can be trusted with what is already in our hands. The “little” things matter because they reveal who we are becoming.
And this is where most New Year’s resolutions go wrong. We aim for dramatic change: sweeping habits, a better version of ourselves, all while overlooking the very little: ten quiet minutes in prayer, one intentional conversation, one small act of generosity, one decision to show up when no one is applauding.
We want visible results without invisible faithfulness.
The good news is that God does not ask us to reinvent ourselves every January. He invites us instead into steady, ordinary faithfulness sustained not by grit alone, but by grace. I think God might be far less interested in how impressively we begin than in how humbly we continue.
So in truth, I haven’t set any New Year’s resolutions yet. But whatever I resolve to do, I hope it’s something small enough to practice daily and humble enough to place in God’s hands. May God do what I cannot: turn ordinary faithfulness into lasting transformation.
Reflect: Have you ever resolved to take on some big, ambitious resolution only to fall flat? What new rhythms might God be calling you to start from a posture of humble beginnings, rather than grand visions?
Pray: Gracious God, we confess how often we aim for big changes while neglecting the small faithfulness before us. Teach us to trust you with the little rhythms of our days and to show up where you have already placed us. Give us the humility to begin again, sustained not by our own resolve but by your grace. Shape us, over time, into people who are faithful with what is already in our hands. Amen
With faith, hope, and love,
Eric Smith