Chaplain’s Corner

Habits 4 LIFE

Let me ask. What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Do you immediately grab your phone and check your messages or news headlines? Or do head straight for the shower? Perhaps you put on your favourite slippers? You probably do something similar every morning, habitually. Am I right?

A habit is something we have learned to do unconsciously and often compulsively. We do these things without thinking. Habits are a life pattern which have been reinforced through repeated use. For example, you pick up a pen and write, without really thinking about it, because the skill, the habit has been formed. Habits can be a facial mannerism or can be an ingrained character weakness. 

What habits, good or bad, do you have? Do you eat a good breakfast every morning? An important habit. Are you a nail biter? Are you a planner or a good time manager? Are you a procrastinator, in the habit of leaving things until the last minute? Are you someone who physically trains, regularly running, or going to the gym?

Did you know a recent survey, which polled 1,000 Americans, found bed-makers were more than twice as likely to be satisfied with their jobs? They found that they were also almost 20 percent more likely to prioritise responsibilities over their desires and to be more productive in their free time. Even more importantly, people who make the bed get more sleep (over 2.5 hours more per week, on average). US Navy Seal, William H. McCraven, stated this in his 2014 speech at the University of Texas, “Want to change the world? Start by making your bed!”

When I read Philippians 4:8, our College theme scripture for 2023, I don’t read some pretty words, that are to be read, to be inspired by, for three minutes and then forget them, I read a list of habits. 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson said this of the importance of habits:

Sow a thought and you reap an action.

Sow an act and you reap a habit.

Sow a habit and you reap a character.

Sow a character and you reap a destiny.

Life giving habits, habits that are for life and bring life, begin first and foremost with a thought. So what are you going to think on, focus on in 2023?

Paul recognised the incredible power of our thought life. He understood that the way we think determines how we feel and how we live. 

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7

This list of things are admirable and worth exploring, worth thinking upon. In turn, they will inevitably lead to admirable qualities breaking forth in you as you allow the Holy Spirit to infuse them in and through your life. 

These are habits for life. They are lifelong habits worth pursuing and forming in your thought life. They are also habits that will bring life! 

God bless,

Pastor Matt Daly

College Chaplain