Being Habitual About Some Habits Is Okay!

We must all admit early and often that we are what we are, creatures of habit! We pretty much have our routines and we go through many of the same motions day after day, week after week, and year after year. If we aren't careful we can get into a rut which is often defined as nothing more than a grave with the ends knocked out of it. Habits and routines are important because they assist us in getting things accomplished in an orderly manner. They can also be problematic whenever we become their slave and lose our ability to function whenever our routine is disturbed or interrupted.

Talk about getting off to a bad day! Just let one of our established routines get out of sync and then everything else tends to collide in its wake. Surely we can be more flexible than this! On the other hand, being habitual about things that really count for time and eternity is an area where only good and positive things can occur. In other words, we do need to have some holy habits that become habitual in our life if we are to grow and mature in our relationship with God.

One of the things that intrigues me about the life of our Savior is the home God placed Him in to be cared for and nurtured. Joseph and Mary were appointed to this task and we find they were in many ways the most ordinary of people but there are some things that caused them to be the family God chose for our Savior. We find them following their understanding of the customs established by God and making them habitual for their family. When Jesus was an infant they carried Him and dedicated Him as was the requirement under the Law of God. They went up to Jerusalem at the Jewish special observances according to the custom they followed. Joseph had holy habits that he followed in the teaching of his family and in leading them in their recognition of and worship of God. Later, after Jesus returned as a Preacher to His hometown of Nazareth, Luke tells us He went to the Synagogue as was His custom. Read it for yourself, Jesus was raised in an environment where habits were practiced habitually. (Read the first four chapters of the Gospel of Luke where you will see this pattern established.)

As we say goodbye to 2007 and anticipate a brand new year we would do well to commit ourselves to some holy habits and become habitual in our observance of them. Things like spending time in prayer and fellowship with God. Leading your family by example in faithful Bible reading and study, faithful attendance and participation when God's people assemble as a Church, and habitually living out an example for others to see and recognize the life God has given to you. These things do not happen by accident. Often they require a radical change in our thinking and they require that we make changes in our schedules, our priorities, and in our routines. After all is said and done, these are the holy habits that will be the most important for those who follow after you. Joseph and Mary did their best to be the parents God wanted them to be. This meant a way of life that included holy habits they pursued in an habitual manner. Food for thought. Amen. .....More later.