I’ve been reading a book about habits, and through reading it I have spent a lot of time reflecting on the conscious and unconscious role of habits in my life. How are the small things that I do every day changing the trajectory of my life? The book I’m reading, Atomic Habits, while good; isn’t necessarily a Christian book, and so I became curious about what the bible has to say about habits in our lives.
The author James Clear starts out explaining in his book: “The quality of our lives often depends on the quality of our habits.” This is similar to the common sentiment I have heard previously: “What we spend our time doing becomes how we spend our life.” What do my habits say about what I am giving my life to?
The daughter of my host here in Albania is brilliant. She is 5 years old and can fluently speak both Albanian and English. Not only is she fluent, she can seemingly flow between languages without hesitation. What is even more impressive is when I asked her father how he taught her English, he told me he’s never taught her. She is 5 years old and she taught herself English.
As it turns out, they speak in solely Albanian at home. In her free time, she watches a lot of English speakers on YouTube. She taught herself, not even quite consciously, by watching Youtube. According to her father, she actually processes in her head in English and not Albanian. When she is at her most frustrated, English is the language she expresses herself in, even to her non English speaking mother.
It’s dang impressive. She literally became what she spent her time doing. She spent her time listening to English videos online and she became an English speaker.
Now becoming fluent in a second language, especially in Albania where it is more essential, is a positive result of habits. Imagine what the human body and mind can do with the sum of an unhealthy habit.
In 1 Corinthians 6:12 it says this: “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved to anything.”
Are the things you are spending your time doing leading you to becoming a more free person or a more bound person? As it says in the book, every little habit and rhythm in our lives is shaping us into the person we are becoming. Seemingly little things such as checking our phone when we wake up, washing our hands after we go to the bathroom, making a cup of coffee in the morning, or even where we keep our food are little things that are shaping our lives.
Romans 12:2 says this: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
It says it right in scripture, what we put in our mind has the power to draw us closer to the heart of the Lord or towards earthly things. Something that I have really been aware of recently is not wanting to do anything that is negatively affecting me out of a compulsive habit. Most habits in our lives we don’t even realize are compulsive.
“They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever reason overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” -2 Timothy 1:7
It is no secret that phones, social media, and technology can hold a lot of swaying power in our lives. I’m lucky that for about 7 months of my race I didn’t have phone service and I didn’t have WiFi in the places I was living. I had to go out and find WiFi and so my time on it was limited and intentional. This limit had so much freedom in it. The freedom to not be tethered to my phone freed me to experience the life and the people directly in front of me without interruption.
Having access to WiFi in my Albanian house now, I have been surprised at how quickly I fell pray to spending time on my smartphone again. Phones are literally designed to keep our attention and without even knowing how addicted we are, we give it. Dang phones, those suckers are always luring me in!
We become what we spend our time doing. Writing this I get nervous talking about a topic in a way that could potentially come off as preachy. “Those dang kids and their smart phones!” My heart is far from that. My heart is this: I have in times found freedom from an enslaving habit and what I desire more than anything is for myself and everyone I know to experience things that bring life and not death.
Phones are good and useful. Social media can be also. But when grabbing our phone in an uncomfortable situation or even just a quiet moment becomes automatic, we are no longer in control. I am no longer in control.
There are a lot of patterns in my life that I have realized I am not in control of. The good news is this: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” -1 Corinthians 10:13
As with everything on earth and inside us, God is the only one with power to change us. How can we shape our physical world around us to be more available to experience Gods kingdom? On our team we are toying with better habits such as carving out bigger chunks of the day to spend with Jesus, undownloading social media on our phones so if we want to look at it we have to find it, plugging our phones in not near our beds, or leaving the house with our phone at home or in our backpacks.
It’s taking a while to figure out the things that work and the things that don’t. I’m a human walking in grace. What I know is this: whether it is habits regarding exercise, eating, using my phone, or sitting in silence, I want to pursue the Lords will for my life in everything I do.
All I want is to know Jesus, and the full life he offers to me. That’s all He wants for me too.
On my own I can do nothing of good. May I pursue the Lord even in the little things to remind me that it is not about me at all. What are you giving your life to?
