A friend, Jim Jessup, is the director of church relations for a local University. He was speaking at an event I was attending. He shared a wonderful story of his great grandparents, Calvin and Matilda Jessup.
Calvin and Matilda lived in the 1800s. They went to church every Sunday in a horse and buggy. On one particular Sunday Calvin had hitched the horses to the buggy. He went in to gather up his family. When they came out it seemed the horses had gotten lose from the buggy and were gone.
He turned to his family and said, “Let’s put on our walking shoes. We are walking to church this morning.” It would be a three mile walk.
Upon arriving at the church there were their horses. Calvin was not surprised. They were use to going to church every week. He figured that is where they would have gone. Sunday church going was a habit the horses had developed.
This caused me to think. Where do our habits lead us? We all have habits. We have practices that produce something in us. What are they?
Habits are seldom bestowed. They are ingrained through consistent action. We develop them. We select them. We determine what they are, then they determine who we are.
The goal ought to be to choose our habits selectively. We need to work on those that better us. We need to develop those that will enhance our lives, relationships, work ethic, depth of spirituality, and emotional balance.
Once we work a habit in it is difficult to work it out. When we understand that habits can be both positive and negative, we will focus on the positive ones.
What are your habits? Where are they leading you?