Anyone who knows me well will attest to the fact that I am a creature of habit. And those who know me best will go so far as to say that I'm just a wee bit (or perhaps more!) obsessive about my habits! While that may or may not be true (see me smile), I do confess that I like my routines.
My schedule for today included an appointment to get my nails done. Today's appointment was scheduled for 1:00 this afternoon, the time I typically schedule my nail and hair appointments. It's my habit to go at that time. But Caroline called this morning to say that all her morning appointments had cancelled and to ask if I would like to come on in this morning. And that's what I did. Which just proves to all the doubters out there that I can make a change!
Having a morning nail appointment meant some changes to my routine. The things I had planned to do this morning, like getting this blog posted, had to wait until afternoon. And it meant that what I had originally planned to write about today morphed into this post. And that's OK. It's good to change up the routine every now and then.
While I admit to being a creature of habit, and we joke a lot about how I obsess over my routines, I have found that having routines is a good thing. I have found, for example, that I'm more productive when I have a plan and stick to it.
That probably is true for most of us. You might find, as I have, that having a regular routine for housework means that the house stays cleaner. It's a lot easier to do just a little every day than to wait until the entire house is a disaster zone and then try to deal with it.
These routines, or habits, are helpful in all sorts of areas. It's good to have a plan. For keeping the house clean. For getting the laundry done. For managing the money. For healthy eating.
I've found it especially helpful to have a plan when it comes to spiritual disciplines like Bible reading and Bible study. Having a plan is part of being intentional about our spiritual growth. Without a plan, and without sticking to that plan, things tend not to happen. That's true for housework. It's true for all our good intentions about healthy eating and exercise. And it's true for our spiritual lives as well.
Over the years my routine has changed. The plan I follow now, in my empty nest season of life, is different than the plan I followed when my children were preschoolers. I'm not insisting, or even recommending, that everyone follow the exact same routines as I do. But I am strongly urging you to develop a plan and become a creature of habit in the area of Bible reading and Bible study. Just as it has for me, I believe following a plan in these areas will make such a difference in your life.
My daily routine begins with my coffee and a time of Bible reading. I use a Bible reading plan that takes me through the entire Bible in a year. You might want to find a similar plan, or read just the New Testament, or focus only on the Psalms or on the Gospels.
I'm also intentional about setting aside time for Bible study, and I encourage you to be as well. Because I live in such an isolated setting, it isn't possible for me to be part of a group Bible study during the week. But that doesn't prevent me from studying on my own. Whether you're part of a small group study, or you study on your own, having a plan for study, and making that a habit of life, is something you will find of great benefit!
Habits don't just happen. We don't wake up one morning and have a habit. Habits come from being intentional, from repeating a behavior over and over.
Having a habit doesn't mean we never have any flexibility in our routine. My nail appointments are always, always, always at 1:00. Today I went at 10:30. Being a little flexible doesn't mean giving up my habits; it just means my schedule is rearranged a little bit. Everything on my daily list is still getting done today, just in a different order than normal, because I'm intentional about getting it all done.
Being intentional is a good thing. It's taking all the I need to or I should have or I wish statements of our lives and turning them into I did.
It's about being a creature of habit.
"Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:7b-8 NASB)
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