If you are like me, during these recent weeks you have found yourself falling into a new routine. The old schedule, priorities, and daily habits have been put on hold. School is now at home. Church is online.

There are more people gathered at your table each night. Bed time has shifted. The morning wake-up process is a little more laid back. While there have been some positives of this life in limbo, if you are like me, you are probably “chomping at the bit” to get back to your old routine. But before you do, you should ask yourself – “Is getting back to my old routine really the best thing?”

Think about it. Routines direct us through our daily lives, yet they are governed by someone or something. Employers tell us when we go to work and that affects when we get up, when we go to bed, and how we spend those periods of time. For those with kids, school schedules and calendars dictate where our children will spend their time (and for sports and extra-curricular activities, where we will spend ours as well). We spend money and time on the television, the internet, our family, our hobbies, our involvement in civic groups, our church and many other outside factors. Each of these have played a role in creating your “old” routine. But the Bible says, “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord”.

Take time during this pause in life to evaluate your old routine. Look at every detail of your old life and ask yourself this question – “Is the Lord ordering (directing, governing) these steps?” Here are some practical things to ask yourself about your old routine:

•      Does my old routine involve a daily time of prayer?
•      Does my old routine involve a daily time of Bible study & devotion?
•      Does my old routine make attendance at all church services a priority?
•      Does my old routine include a planned time to teach my children and/or grandchildren about the Lord?
•      Does my old routine effectively communicate my personal witness and testimony to others?
•      Does my old routine consume my time and money or does it allow me to give generously to the needs of my church?

If you are like most people, many parts of your old routine have been governed by something or someone else. The good news is that God has given you this ideal time to re-tool, re-think, re-examine, and re-focus your life! Why not use this time to evaluate your routines in light of Psalm 37:23 and establish a NEW routine that is ordered by the Lord. Draw up a plan. Make some new commitments. Establish some new habits. Have things ready to go and then take action on whatever you can right now. When the time comes that restrictions are lifted and you are able to go back to your old routine – put the new one in its place – and the Bible says you (and God) will “delight” in the new things that govern your life.