Hard Habit to Break

After a year of not being able to climb the stairs, dress myself in my pants & shoes & limited driving no one told me I’d have to learn to live again. Long after the cancer, i found myself still doing (and not doing) things the way I used to when I had cancer – because of habit – like selecting shoes that i could put on without help, not picking up things from the floor if they required I bend over, etc. FOur years later I still found myself bending over with my right leg stretched straight behind me. THE PAIN HAD LONG GONE BUT THE HABIT REMAINED. It took a while, reminders, and planning to retrain my mind and body to put away those old habits that didn’t suit me anymore. I had to be intentional in my thinking & actions. Similarly, as we grow in Christ, we will have to put away old habits that don’t suit us anymore. It is not easy. It takes a deliberate effort to identify & rid ourselves of those things. I Cor. 6:10-11 says “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” It is hard & sometimes soul wrenching, but it is possible with God’s help to change. What things don’t suit you as a Christian anymore? What habits need to be broken? Do you need to change the MANNER in which you do something – perhaps from harsh to softer? Take a minute today to self reflect and ask God to show you what no longer suits you & ask for help in breaking old chains. (Words by April Estes, art by Ruth Chou Simons)