Habits...For Better or Worse

An elderly teacher, with a pupil by his side, took a walk through a forest. Suddenly he stopped and pointed to four plants close at hand. The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself pretty well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.

The tutor said to his young companion, 'Pull up the first plant.' The boy did so eagerly, using only his fingers.

'Now pull up the second.' The youth obeyed but found the task more difficult.

'Do the same with the third,' he urged. The boy had to use all his strength to uproot it.

'Now,' said the instructor, 'try your hand with the fourth.' The pupil put his arms around the trunk of the tall tree and couldn't even shake its leaves.

'This, my son, is just what happens with our bad habits. When they are young, we can remove them readily; but when they are old, it's hard to uproot them, though we pray and struggle ever so sincerely.'"   - From the Heidelberg Herald.

We are definitely creatures of habit. Some habits can be good for us, culminating in promising results such as brushing our teeth daily, getting plenty of sleep, eating a balanced diet, and following an excercise program.

On the other hand, some habits may not be so beneficial. In fact, some may cause damaging effects and/or reek havoc in our lives. These include following a bad diet, not following through with promises, being consistently late for work, disregarding the rules of the road, and ignoring others during part of a normal conversation.

The dictionary definition of habit is: "a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up." Thus, the power of a habit is derived from repetition of a behavior over a period of time.

As Christians, we too can build good habits and practices into our lives. In this case, I am talking about abandoning acts of the flesh and joining with the Spirit to change our lives for the better. This transformation by the Spirit takes place through "habits of holiness," or spiritual disciplines.

Let me clarify that these "habits of holiness" are not the effect of anything that you or I can do through strength and desire. To get an idea of this, think about all of the times you may have tried to break a bad habit. Not very easy. Habits of holiness are so much more then the outcome of our own endeavors.

These Godly habits are suggested, nutured, and cultivated through the sanctifying work of the Spirit who lives inside of us. Thus, God develops holiness in and through us is as we, by the Spirit, establish “habits of holiness” in our lives—habits that reflect the godly virtues found in Christ himself.

What this means, for us, is that the maintenance of spiritual growth comes by the development of Christ-like character through heartfelt, sincere, and continuing practices of purposeful God-centered disciplines such as: worship, prayer, the word, truthful fellowship, and using our spiritual gifts (Galatians 5:22-24).

These disciplines do not, by any means, weaken our Christian responsibility. Not by a long shot. Instead, consider them a Scripturally aligned, and sensible response to the grace of God in our lives (Titus 2:11-12).

In conclusion, there are habits that can enhance our lives and others that sabotage it. When it comes to habits of holiness we are transformed by the Spirit to reflect the virtues that indwell within Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Speaking for myself, these habits/spiritual disciplines are imperative to a Christian life.

Scripture: John 8:34; 2 Peter 2:19; Ephesians 5:1; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Corinthians 6:12 

Prayer: Holy Father, I know I have some habits that serve no purpose Spiritual purpose; I pray that with Your guidance and grace I may develop habits of holiness which I can use to manifest Your love and mercy towards others. Amen

Have a blessed day,

Makennah