We are creatures of habit. Without habits, we will spend a great deal of energy trying to remember what we are going to do next. For instance, we automatically know we need to brush our teeth after eating. We drive our vehicles without so much as thinking about what to do next. Good habits make our lives easier.
Conversely, we can also learn bad habits. They have the opposite effects on our lives. Because of them, we tend to overeat or waste our time watching mindless shows on television and video clips on the internet.
While on quarantine, we have the rare chance to form godly and useful habits. For example, one thing I discovered is that it I can walk for around 30 minutes in the morning and cover 3 kilometers in the process. Aside from the physical exercise, exposure to the sun early in the morning has beneficial effects on the body. I have been walking in the morning six days a week for almost four weeks now. Hopefully, I will continue doing so even after the quarantine.
In his best-selling book, “The Power of Habit” author Charles Duhig provides an easy to understand explanation behind the science of habits. He said that habits are formed because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort. The habit loop consists of a cue or trigger, followed by a routine, then a reward. If performed repeatedly, habits are formed.
For Christians, theologians have coined the term spiritual disciplines or spiritual habits to denote those practices that should form part of one’s routine. For example, the writer of the book of Hebrews enjoined his readers this way-- “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25). He identifies failing to meet regularly in public worship as a bad habit. Positively, he is implying that attending Sunday worship is a good habit to have. Other godly habits include a time of private fellowship with God through His Word and in prayer, preferably in the morning.
So as you stay marooned in your room or house, what habits are you forming? I hope that at the end of this quarantine, you can say that you have picked up some godly and useful ones.