Habits预览

Trust the God-process

We’ve been talking a lot about habits, but what are they, really? Based on what we’ve learned the last few days, a habit is formed when you consistently meet an important need with a chosen behavior. Habits tend to get a bad rap, but they are actually a process God created. Let’s call them a God-process. This leads to the next letter: trust the God-process. 

The very rhythm of God’s creation story in Genesis is full of good daily habits. This is the first time we see God use processes to create something new, healthy, and good. Sound familiar? God was being habitual! Just in this one story, God illustrated habits of excellence, persistence, asking others for help (Adam named the animals, God said it isn’t good for man to be alone and created Eve), stopping to celebrate what you’ve accomplished (God noted that His work was good each day), and taking a day each week to just rest. As you read the Bible, continue looking for good habits, or God-processes, throughout, and you’ll realize they’re a gift from God. 

We should trust God and trust that God is in the process. He is working something new and beautiful in your life as you discover healthy identity, ask for help, be kind to yourself, investigate, and trust His process. Processes like developing good daily habits are not something we utilize in order to avoid relying on God’s help—they exist because of His help. When we trust God with these daily actions, they become God-processes. On the other hand, without God’s help, all of our best efforts can become a self-salvation project. That kind of do-it-without-God behavior is what got us into messes in the first place! 

Pray: God, I’m thankful for the routines and habits You are helping me to put in place in my life. I can’t do any of this without Your strength, peace, and grace. Help me to continue to rely on You daily. Amen.