The word “habit” often has a negative connotation. This word, in most cases, turns our minds to those unwanted aspects of our lives that we want to change. Sometimes those habits have become so entrenched that we label them as addictions.
At other times, the word “habit” may bring to mind something good in our lives that because we’ve repeated it so often we no longer give it the attention it deserves. We say it has become “rote” and is therefore no longer meaningful. This is another way in which we view habits in a negative light. Some churches celebrate communion only once or twice a year so that it does not become meaningless through regular usage. These churches look down on churches who offer the Lord’s Supper every week stating: “It loses its meaning when you do it week after week.”
If we stop to ponder this dilemma, we can begin to appreciate that much of what we do we do out of habit. Yes, doing something often and consistently can, if we are not careful, become mindless, mechanical, and meaningless. But that need not be the case. It is all a matter of our heart and our desires, values, and priorities.
Will we shy away from developing a new rhythm of meeting alone with God several times a day because we are concerned that it will just become a “habit” and soon degenerate into a meaningless, dry time?
I pray that this will not become our concern but that, instead, as part of this new journey we are taking, our hearts will be drawn ever closer to God so that we will look forward to each and every time we spend alone with God as we develop this into a new, joyous, and meaningful habit.