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May 09, 2023 06:00am

Creatures of Habit

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We are creatures of habit. We tend to do the same things in the same way, day after day. Chances are you woke up at the same time, drove to work taking the same route, listening to the same music, and you will do the same thing tomorrow. If you attended worship last week, chances are you sat in the exact same seat. As a matter of fact, the best way to meet new people in a church is to take “their” seats. Being a creature of habit is not always bad, it all depends on the habit.

A lot has been written about habits lately. Research on habits points to keystone habits, habits that lead to other habits. The idea is easy to understand but hard to apply. For example, if I start eating healthy, and maybe losing a little weight, those keystone habits may lead to me starting to exercise a little. Some people refer to this as habit stacking, small positive changes that lead to other changes. I have a friend who says flossing is a keystone habit for him; he says when he flosses he also eats better and exercises.

I don’t share his conviction about flossing.

Unfortunately, habit stacking also works with bad habits. If I am in the habit of staying up too late, I don’t wake up early, start the day tired and rushed, don’t spend time alone with Jesus, and spend the day tired. Your habits matter in areas like heath, finances, and relationships, and especially in the area of your faith. How many of us say, “ I just got out of the habit of serving, giving, going to church, etc.”

This week I read the Old Testament story of Naaman, found in 2 Kings chapter 5. Naaman had a lot going for him. He was an important man, highly regarded, and a valiant warrior. He sounds like the kinda guy you would like to have as a friend. Naaman was all those things, but he had a skin condition, more specifically he had leprosy, which affected every area of his life. To make a long story short, Naaman gets word that a prophet can cure him. Instead of going to the prophet, he goes to the king of Israel who gets mad, then he finally goes to the prophet. The prophet doesn’t even come out but sends word for Naaman to go wash 7 times in the Jordan. Naaman gets mad because he thought God would do things differently.

That is the story of my life.

I get frustrated because God doesn’t act in the time or the way I think He should. Maybe you can relate. Naaman’s servant comes up to him as he is throwing his fit and says something profound. In verse 13 he says, “ my father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he only tells you , “Wash and be clean?” Most of us would say, “ If God ever tells me to do something great for Him, I will do it.” We love the idea of slaying a giant for God, walking on water, and handing out food to feed five thousand people. We struggle with the idea of washing people’s feet, and loving our neighbor, not to mention loving our enemies. We love the idea of doing something great for God but struggle with doing the simple, everyday things.

If you ever want to do great things for God it will be because you did the simple things. Sometimes you will find out that the “simple things” (investing in your kids, loving your spouse, serving people) were the great things. So in the area of habit stacking I want to challenge you. Instead of waiting to slay a giant for God, say YES to the next thing you know God wants you to do, the simple thing or the difficult thing, the next thing. Then do that over and over. Who knows, maybe following this simple plan will lead you to some other good habits like flossing.