Sowing a Habit, Reaping a Life
October 5, 2018
A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we don’t grow weary, and if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:7-9 NIV
The term “habit” refers to a settled or regular tendency or practice. It can be used in a negative way in reference to bad habits, such as ignoring people when they’re talking and consistently failing to do what one has promised. We say, “he/she has the bad habit of never following through.” But the term “habit” can also be used in a positive way, in reference to good exercise habits as well as good eating habits and a host of other attitudes and practices. Obviously, we want to develop the latter and forsake the former. Here we are talking about building good habits and practices into our lives. The truth is, when you sow a habit, you reap a life. The shape of your life is the shape of your habits.
You can trace a difficult, struggling, and failure-to-thrive life to habits. You can trace a satisfying, growing, thriving life to habits. Habits give stability to life even when we get curve balls and storms. They are handles that keep our purpose strong and our direction certain no matter what life offers.
Sow the good habits. DON’T GET WEARY, Paul tells us. We will eventually reap what we sow, if we don’t give up. The harvest will be worth it. Don’t give up too early. Experts say it takes 66 days on the average to create a new habit. It will work for you, if you work it. Remember, you are growing your life in the shape you really want it to be.
- Where are you in danger of growing weary and giving up? Who can encourage you? Check in with another believer and get the encouragement you need.
- What habits need to die?
- What habits need to be sown?
- Make a commitment in a needed area for the next 66 days. See what God does.