Why are habits so difficult to change/make/build? Almost everything in nature runs on cycles, habits, patterns. From Fibonacci patterns in plants, their annual life cycles, to the behaviors and patterns of cats, habits are evident everywhere. What does that say about our creator? He is consistent. That is definite. He must value order, sequence, predictability. He is always good, always truthful, always faithful.
There are so many methods, books, ideologies about how to build habits in one’s life. It has been a struggle in mine regardless of how many books or talks I listen to on the subject matter. I’ve heard it said that it takes 21 days to build a habit. I’ve also heard it said that it takes 90 days. So whether 21 or 90, I think a lot of times, habits come out of our heart conditions. Luke 6:45 says “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart,” NASB.
This reminds me of fruit, ie., the fruit of the spirit. The heart condition is the soil that the fruit of our life grows out of. If our life is hectic and chaotic, can we have great habits? Can we bring forth good fruit? We can strive to make things happen, but can we really try hard enough to make a plant produce good fruit, or does that come from the life only God can give?
That thought brings me back to my word of the year, integrity. Where is my integrity in my not so desirable habits? This journey of life sure has a way of bringing you to your knees and needing complete dependency on the Lord. Praise the Lord he is always faithful, always truthful, alway good. He is perfect in every way, including His habits.