Walking With Christ

Quick science lesson for the nerds in the group. The brain is a really complex machine. Every thought we ever have is connected to a neural pathway. This is the physical chain between the source of the thought and the part of the brain required to act on that thought. Every movement that the body can do is related to a specific pathway in the brain and activated the exact same way each time we decide to perform that exact movement. If you repeat an action enough times then we form what we call muscle memory. It’s a movement that requires absolutely no conscious effort to do. The interesting thing about this is that each time we have a purely new thought or hear/read something unfamiliar, the brain has to try to find a close approximation of that thought or action. The brain does this to save time and increase efficiency which allows the brain to get back to doing other things.

The more times we repeat the action or thought, the easier it gets to activate that particular neural pathway. It literally gets stronger and the physical pathway gets thicker. Every time we repeat something we are reinforcing that pathway. Eventually, it gets difficult to change that thought or action. It becomes ingrained in us. It becomes a habit.

Just about anything the brain does can become a habit. I’ve been typing long enough that I no longer have to think about where the keys on the keyboard are. That’s a great habit to have. That little bit of muscle memory saves me a lot of time since I can type faster now that I don’t have to think about where the keys are with each keystroke.

You can learn a lot about a person by the habits they have. Some habits are good while others can be quite harmful. Our habits can save us or they can get us hurt pretty badly.

What does the bible say about habits?

Daniel, in Daniel 6:10, prayed out of habit.
Jesus, in Luke 4:16 (and a lot of other places), taught on the temple on Sabbath.
Cornelius, in Acts 10:2, habitually prayed and gave alms (money) to the poor.
Peter, in Acts 10:9, also habitually prayed at the sixth hour of the day.
Paul, in Acts 17:2, habitually debated the scriptures on Sabbath days.
The Pharisees, in Mark 7:3-4, habitually held to tradition at the expense of the spirit of the law they habitually followed.
Saul, in 1 Samuel 13:8-14, habitually disobeyed the Lord or was impatient.

There are good habits to have. Praying, eating healthy, exercising, meeting with family and friends, going to church, reading the bible, and many more. There are also many bad habits. Some of these are in the eye of the beholder. We may not even know that we are doing the thing because it has become such a deep habit. How we treat others, ourselves, and even God can be habitual. Not only the level of interaction but how we interact. How we see one person can be habitual to the point that we don’t notice changes unless they are extreme and sudden. We don’t see the slow drift from the person we knew to the person they really are. How we treat ourselves and the things we habitually say to ourselves can be some of the most deceitful or vicious words we ever hear. These lies we tell ourselves on repeat can stop us from growing or blind us to real and potentially life threatening problems in our own lives or the lives of others. The habits we form when interacting with God are, by far, the most important we will ever form. They are also the most dangerous if we form the wrong ones.

Not all habits are bad but they can tell us a lot about a person. What do your habits say about you? As you ponder this, also ask if there are any habits or routines that you need to change. Do these habits bring you closer to God or farther away? Do these habits block others out of your life? What steps can you take to replace the harmful habits with ones that foster growth, love, and a deeper communion with God? Habits are impossible to change if we aren’t aware they exist and difficult when we are. It requires a bit of planning, conscious thought, and sometimes, support from others, or even grace from God. If something in your life doesn’t seem right, examine the habits surrounding that and work on changing them to see the amazing fruit that God has planned for you. Seek His grace and guidance through the process but never hesitate to reach out to other members of the body of Christ. We can habitually grow apart or we can habitually grow together.