What is your biggest struggle currently? Things may be going great for you or you might be in a low season; regardless, unless you’ve obtained human perfection, we all have internal conflicts that are nagging at your heels.

Some Types of Internal Struggles

• Character deficits (pride, envy, lust, greed, sloth, gluttony, wrath, etc.)
• Counterproductive habits (sleeping in, skipping fitness, poor nutrition)
• Emotional traps (worry, fear, quick to anger, negative thoughts about yourself, rejection, etc.)
• Addictive & soothing behaviors (shopping, food, substances, attention, validation, YouTube shorts, obsessive news watching)
• Loneliness & disconnection
• Extended indecisiveness, perhaps about a big decision

You may find that many of these struggles are connected, so the goal is to identify the 1-2 which influence others. This is what it currently looks like for me:

1. Poor morning routine (poor sleep hygiene leading to poor mornings experiences, leading to a host of other counterproductive habits)
2. Sloth (engaging in too much soothing behaviors at the expense of my work; lack of food preparation)

Keywords: morning, sleep hygiene, habits, sloth, soothing, work, food

Given these keywords, it’s time to go to work and dive into primary and secondary sources on these topics. Everyone differs in their sources. My primary source is the Bible. My preferred secondary sources are books, podcasts, sermons, philosophy, music, art. The intention is to use the key words as a starting point for deep, reflective analysis.

On food & work: Primary Source

“A person may do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil (work). This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment,” Ecclesiastes 2:24-25

Now, perhaps I should examine the whole book of Ecclesiastes; I’ve noticed this phrase is repeated throughout. What did the writer mean and how does that apply to me? When I think about my intention for daily meditation time in the morning, these keywords provide me with where I can start.

On food & work: Secondary Sources

“The uniqueness and singleness which distinguishes each individual and gives a meaning to his existence has a bearing on creative work as much as it does on human love... A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears towards a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. ” Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning — The book I recommend to others the most

Kobe Bryant on Work Ethic (short clip)
Cuffed to Cake – Michael Todd sermon on relationship to food
Working: What We Do All Day – Documentary produced by Barack Obama

Reflecting or writing about what you find is great, but not necessary. Listening and reading. That’s it.

I am going to sit with these concepts for a little bit, a few days, a few weeks. When I am sitting in the morning, wanting to center myself, now I have a few keywords/concepts that I want to listen to, read, and think about in that time. I’ll let it play in the background in the car, maybe listen to a relevant podcast the next time I’m going for a walk. Maybe I will journal about it, but most importantly, I aim to be open to hearing the answers I seek regarding these internal struggles. I invite you to join me in reading and listening to topics relevant to what eats at us.

We might just hear an answer – that which lessens the burdens we currently carry.