Live More

Habits: We all have them. Some of them are obvious. Obvious to ourselves. Obvious to strangers. Obvious to friends. Obvious to God. Some of them are more subconscious. We're not even aware that we do these things, and if someone else pointed them out to us, we may even be surprised and embarrassed. Yes, habits. 


Good. Bad. Ugly. Habits.


I've recently become more aware of one of these not-so-pretty habits in my life. It's one of those habits that can be called sin. It's ugly. Sin is always ugly. It just is. And we all do it. Every day. All the time. There's nothing we can do to make up for it, which is why we need Jesus. That's the Good News. 


But that's no excuse. Bad habits - sin - are not things that we're supposed to keep doing intentionally. Sometimes we do them without even realizing it. However, sometimes, we ignore the little voice in the back of our mind flashing a bright, neon "STOP!" sign as we begin to take the first step. We know what we're doing is wrong, but we'd rather do that wrong thing because in the moment, it seems like a more fun or better option. It's not, but we lie to ourselves with the idea that it's OK or worth it. And we're wrong. 


Like I said, recently I've become more aware of something in my own life. And this awareness is a little annoying. It's annoying because it means that I notice more and more when I'm starting to fall into this habit. It's annoying because it's not natural for me not to participate. It's a habit that I like. A habit that's hard to change. 


The good news is that now I can do something about it. Previously, I wouldn't even recognize this habit after the fact. It was so ingrained in how I functioned that it didn't even stick out as something I should change. But now I know. So now I have the opportunity to do something about it. And I am. And it's wonderful. I'm already beginning to see how God is blessing me through choosing to live in a way that honors him and others better.


Assuming that you're a human being reading this blog, there's something in your life that is a habit that you should change. It's tough. It's awkward. It's uncomfortable. Nonetheless, it's good. Changing these habits brings us a life that is fuller, richer and more joyful in the long-run, even if the short-run isn't so pleasant. We were not created to have these ball-and-chain habits drag us down. We were meant for something more. So live into that. Live more.