An Ally in Your Corner

Brushing your teeth.  Hanging your towel up after a shower.  Tying your shoes.

These are simple tasks each of us does without thought or conscious choice.

We call this learned behavior a habit, and I’ve been pondering lately how much this God-designed feature of our human nature can be helpful if we recognize and use it to purposeful advantage.

This awareness began as I heard the earnest plea of the woman across me, “I DO want to spend time in God’s Word, and I know how important it is….but it’s so hard to fight the obstacles!  Getting up early, resisting the other things that call for my attention,  being tired at the end of the day…I just can’t seem to consistently spend the time w/God that I desire.”

As I analyzed my own life and the pattern of Bible reading I have established, it has not been without similar difficulties. (LOTS of years of ups & downs!)  But somewhere along the way, in God’s grace and ONLY God’s grace, a breakthrough occurred that resulted in an ingrained routine that I now enjoy with consistency.  And this has come largely because I formed a habit.*

A habit by definition is “ a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up”,  and we often think of it in the category of something bad.

But a good habit? Well,  it can reap bounties of benefit for years to come.

Allow me to explain:

A habit requires no thought or willful choice; its action is predetermined and automatic. It is not influenced by feeling, emotion, or tiredness. Its performance does not need convincing or motivation or effort. 
You. Just. Do. It.

•          So, the dad with the habit of physical exercise gets up each morning (or leaves work each evening) to work out, run, or walk.
•          The woman who, as a habit of life, attends church on Sunday gets up each week when the alarm goes off, prepares to depart, and arrives on time to worship.
•          The pet owner who walks her dog as a daily habit, finishes dinner and hooks the leash to Skipper and the two are off on a stroll in the neighborhood.

To each of these three it matters not the weather, how the day went, if he/she feels like doing this, or what else is going in his or her life (those things don’t even get considered) ---because this is a regular, ongoing lifestyle choice one maintains without thinking.

A habit.

And yes, the habit had to be formed. Initially, one had to push past ALL the obstacles and persevere through distasteful resistance.  Likely, it wasn’t all that fun.  They say it takes 6-10 weeks to develop a new habit.  This takes consistency and endurance.

BUT (and oh, what a lovely “but” this is!)

Once formed, a habit carries you for a very  l-o-n-g  way…sometimes they are life-long!

• Consider the woman I first mentioned who wants to spend time in God’s Word, desires this as a life pattern, daily or regularly putting her mind & heart before the truth of Scripture.
• Or the one who wants to consistently & repeatedly spend time in prayer for her loved ones, the suffering Christians across the world, and just praise God in worshipful prayer.
• Or the one who seeks to memorize Scripture.
• (Or 100 other good applications!)

Strategy:  Commit to 8 weeks of forming a habit

Once formed the habit itself will carry 90% of the activity, so that you do it without conscious question or choice.

And that reaps double benefit:

1.        It allows you to be consistent in the behavior that is the new habit
2.        It leaves you free to put your conscious effort toward something else. Indeed, the more good things you form into habits, the more effort & energy you’ll have to do put toward other things.

God equips us ( in our human weakness) in many different ways. I’d suggest one of these provisions is in the ability we have to form a habit that can almost effortlessly help us live out a repetitive aspect of life to better glorify Him.

Unleash the power of the next habit you’ll form….and reap its bounty for years to come!

*This habit is not of my own willpower, because I'm so spiritual, or somehow represents personal achievement. It is because of God. And I have a large number of non-habits that I still struggle with to which I need to apply this post. So please don't read me as the hero in this.