The problem and power of habits …

While trying to use my laptop today, I’m feeling totally discombobulated (I’ve NEVER used the word “discombobulated” in any of my writings, how fun that it fits here!).

As long as I’ve used a laptop, I’ve never liked using the built-in touchpad. Instead, I have for years used a Trackball mouse that I would plug into a USB outlet on my computer. I had built a habit of use with the rollerball on the mouse, to the point my moving through the internet or working with documents or applications on my computer was done with “automatic” movement, my fingers just knew what to do because of habit.

But this past week, my old Trackball mouse died. I shopped around for the same model mouse; I could find a Trackball mouse, but the new model was cordless, the rollerball would be maneuvered by the thumb instead of fingers, and the left/right click buttons had a different placement.

With all that change, when I sat down to get some work done today, I fumbled all over my laptop! I was deeply habituated to the movements and placements of the old mouse, and it quickly became clear I would have to adjust to the changes of the new mouse to become proficient with its use. I would have to rehabituate myself to slightly different movements and placements in order to comfortably and effectively use the new mouse.

My experience of fumbling today over habits reminded me of many times over the years working with clients in counseling who desperately needed to dehabituate from some patterns and behaviors in their lives and replace those old habits with new, healthier ones.

Depending on what their challenges were, helping people dehabituate from some habits and rehabituate with others can sometimes result in striking, positive change in their lives.

All of us have habits, some we may not even be very conscious of, but much of what we do in life is done on “automatic pilot,” sourced in the habits we have developed. Some of those habits are beneficial, such as reading the Bible daily, exercising daily, and practicing a routine of healthy nutrition.

All of us know some habits can be negative, even destructive, to ourselves and our relationships. It’s critical when we see such habits developing in our lives — or someone points them out to us — that we break the old or developing “bad” habit and replace it with a new, positive one.

A great deal of change can be accomplished in our lives just by dehabituating from negative and destructive patterns and behaviors, and rehabituating with positive ones. But as beneficial as this process of dehabituation and rehabitauation might be for us, it cannot accomplish all the necessary change we need in life. As hard as we try, we cannot generate enough change to live a purposeful life that connects rightly with God and others.

That requires more than just breaking old habits and building new ones; such change calls for a total transformation! For example, Jesus once said …

“And then he added, ‘It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you,” Mark 7:20-23.

We usually develop bad habits that cause or feed such behaviors listed above that “defile us.” We can have some effect on these things by building better habits, but breaking old habits and building new ones isn’t enough to transform the heart. To be able to break the habit of sin will require something more, which the Apostle Paul describes like this …

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect,” Romans 12:2.

This transforming of our lives is done over a lifetime, God doesn’t make us perfect in the twinkling of an eye. So even after He saves us and adopts us as His own, we still need to not only guard against building negative habits in our lives, but we need to purposely work at building those habits that contribute to our living holy and obedient lives in Christ.

An example of this can be drawn from Psalm 119:11: “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

By building the habits of reading and studying the Bible and memorizing scripture we help build into our lives the habits of living obediently to Christ in a way that glorifies God and blesses others. That’s not just “religious talk,” in Pulpit Digest William Willimon shares the following story …

“Philip Haille wrote of the little village of Le Chambon in France, a town whose people, unlike others in France, hid their Jews from the Nazis. Haille went there, wondering what sort of courageous, ethical heroes could risk all to do such extraordinary good. He interviewed people in the village and was overwhelmed by the ordinariness. They weren’t heroes or smart, discerning people. Haille decided that the one factor that united them was their attendance, Sunday after Sunday, at their little church, where they heard the sermons of Pastor Trochme. Over time, they became by habit people who just knew what to do and did it. When it came time for them to be courageous, the day the Nazis came to town, they quietly did what was right. One old woman, who faked a heart attack when the Nazis came to search her house, later said, ‘Pastor always taught us that there comes a time in every life when a person is asked to do something for Jesus. When our time came, we knew what to do.'”

Habits such as memorizing scripture and studying the Bible can help us be prepared to do the right thing when we’re “asked to do something for Jesus.”

We asked to live for Jesus every day!

Can you imagine the habits we need to build into our lives to do that?!

What old, “bad” habits remain in your life that you need to dehabituate from? What new habits should you build into your life to help you live as a follower of Jesus Christ?

Scotty