Why Habits Matter
Habits can be bad. They can also be good. You might think of a Habit as simply, "something you do frequently", but it is much more than that.
A habit is an action that someone takes in response to something else. It's like a routine, except it always has a consistent cause or trigger. Think of a habit like an automated program that your brain runs in response to a certain event, action, or cause.
You feel an itch. Response? Scratch it.
Your heart rate increases. Response? Breathe faster.
You're bored. Response? For many, it's to reach for their phone, yes, without even thinking about it.
If you live with a family that eats dinner together every night at the table, you'll probably run a habit-program that is triggered by the smell of your parent's cooking when it is near five o'clock.
You smell the food cooking. Your stomach responds by growling. The stomach's response is a biological habit. Then you might instinctively know that it's time to get up, go wash your hands, and head to the dinner table to help set the table. This is a well-formed habit.
You can program more complex responses if you know how to find the trigger or cause. What's the first intentional action you think about when you wake in the morning? My guess is one of your first thoughts is related to food or drink. Maybe it's a cup of coffee, or what you'd like to eat for breakfast. Maybe it's a habit you've already formed to go brush your teeth. Some habits are formed out of duty or necessity. We don't feel particularly strong about them, but they must happen. Other habits might be formed negatively, and are a source of repeated shame and guilt. Finding those triggers is extremely valuable.
Reading the Bible every day might be a desire you have, but it might take some work to get this habit established. Here's a strategy you could try:
1. Find a habit you already have established that you enjoy, or that you would look forward to. Examples: Eating breakfast. Drinking something you enjoy in the morning. Seeing a particular friend you enjoy the company of. Whatever triggers that habit is a good trigger! Identify the trigger.
2. Add a small, minor action after that trigger and before your already established response. It needs to be very small - like "read for two minutes". This is just to get you started. It's tiny, doesn't take much effort at all, and can feel seamless with your already established habit.
3. Keep the original habit you had. Have your breakfast or your morning beverage of choice. This will associate your new habit with something you already enjoy.
4. Keep consistent with this for a week. At this point, many people find that they can add more much sooner than they anticipated. Just like progressing through strength training, you gradually increase the load.
5. ID the new habit. Write it down. Stay consistent. After a time, it will be an automatic reponse, wired into your brain.
NOTE: This doesn't mean reading the Bible will be boring, ritualistic, and lack meaning. It certainly CAN be that, but it's up to you, the reader, to keep your heart and mind engaged. But throughout history, Christians have kept up Spiritual habits by repeating a process. We can and should do the same!
You should know that whatever your original trigger was, it will eventually be driven with a real, spiritual desire to know God better. This will drive your habit going forward. But for most of us, getting started is half the battle.
Knowing how habits work can help us establish new, healthy habits, that will improve ourselves and our lives, while also helping us identify bad habits, learn what creates and causes them, and stop them.
A habit is an action that someone takes in response to something else. It's like a routine, except it always has a consistent cause or trigger. Think of a habit like an automated program that your brain runs in response to a certain event, action, or cause.
You feel an itch. Response? Scratch it.
Your heart rate increases. Response? Breathe faster.
You're bored. Response? For many, it's to reach for their phone, yes, without even thinking about it.
If you live with a family that eats dinner together every night at the table, you'll probably run a habit-program that is triggered by the smell of your parent's cooking when it is near five o'clock.
You smell the food cooking. Your stomach responds by growling. The stomach's response is a biological habit. Then you might instinctively know that it's time to get up, go wash your hands, and head to the dinner table to help set the table. This is a well-formed habit.
You can program more complex responses if you know how to find the trigger or cause. What's the first intentional action you think about when you wake in the morning? My guess is one of your first thoughts is related to food or drink. Maybe it's a cup of coffee, or what you'd like to eat for breakfast. Maybe it's a habit you've already formed to go brush your teeth. Some habits are formed out of duty or necessity. We don't feel particularly strong about them, but they must happen. Other habits might be formed negatively, and are a source of repeated shame and guilt. Finding those triggers is extremely valuable.
Reading the Bible every day might be a desire you have, but it might take some work to get this habit established. Here's a strategy you could try:
1. Find a habit you already have established that you enjoy, or that you would look forward to. Examples: Eating breakfast. Drinking something you enjoy in the morning. Seeing a particular friend you enjoy the company of. Whatever triggers that habit is a good trigger! Identify the trigger.
2. Add a small, minor action after that trigger and before your already established response. It needs to be very small - like "read for two minutes". This is just to get you started. It's tiny, doesn't take much effort at all, and can feel seamless with your already established habit.
3. Keep the original habit you had. Have your breakfast or your morning beverage of choice. This will associate your new habit with something you already enjoy.
4. Keep consistent with this for a week. At this point, many people find that they can add more much sooner than they anticipated. Just like progressing through strength training, you gradually increase the load.
5. ID the new habit. Write it down. Stay consistent. After a time, it will be an automatic reponse, wired into your brain.
NOTE: This doesn't mean reading the Bible will be boring, ritualistic, and lack meaning. It certainly CAN be that, but it's up to you, the reader, to keep your heart and mind engaged. But throughout history, Christians have kept up Spiritual habits by repeating a process. We can and should do the same!
You should know that whatever your original trigger was, it will eventually be driven with a real, spiritual desire to know God better. This will drive your habit going forward. But for most of us, getting started is half the battle.
Knowing how habits work can help us establish new, healthy habits, that will improve ourselves and our lives, while also helping us identify bad habits, learn what creates and causes them, and stop them.