Not All Habits Are Bad
Last night, as I drove home from a ladies Bible study, reflecting on the discussions of seasoned female warriors who have stood firm on solid principles, I flipped through radio stations. I landed on a talk program as it was ending. Sadly, no name and identification were given to attribute these wise word: "Jesus developed the habit of prayer."
Prayer was a habit.
Hmm. If prayer was a habit, thought I in the dark as I drove, then not all habits are bad. The English word for habit has lots of meanings:
- A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition. (noun).
- An established disposition of the mind or character. (noun)
- Customary manner or practice: a person of ascetic habits. (noun)
- An addiction, especially to a narcotic drug. (noun)
- Physical constitution. (noun)
- A tendency or disposition to act in a particular way. (noun)
Special thanks to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.)
Ever since I made a commitment to follow Jesus, I read my Bible as a means to and end: to know Jesus. It has become my habit. Over time, the habit is now based on an established disposition of the mind - I want to know this Jesus and the power that now belongs to me. What may have begun, in part, as a legalistic exercise spurred by my brand of church at the time, morphed into a beautiful ritual that has drawn me away into quiet spaces and private moments that have defined who I am and how I know God.
In the beginning, as I read, not always did I understand. As I read, not always was there a beautiful "ah ha" moment. As I read, not always was there time enough to dive into words and study and ponder but simply read them for information gathering. But, as I read, I was unknowingly developing a habit. This habit has now become a passion. I must know God's Word. God's Word is life, and power, and spirit, and correction, and gentle instruction, and raise my head off the floor hope, and means everything to me.
God uses His Word in powerful ways to develop us. God's Word, because it is a living thing, grows. However, the effort of growth happens supernaturally. The role of the Holy Spirit is to bring life and power and recall to the words we've ingested. The Holy Spirit breathes life into the black and white words that are spiritual truths that transform us.
Not all habits are bad. This habit of reading God's Word is a good lesson, a valuable lesson, a lesson that has taken me through every season of my life. It's the one lesson that will propel me into the unknown seasons that lay before me. Friend, develop the habit of reading God's Word. You, my dear, will be a superhero!
Form a habit,
Christina
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