Sneaky Habits and Righteous Ruts

Habits are funny things.  They have a devious way of sneaking up on you and entrenching themselves behind your back, until finally you turn around and find yourself staring at them stupidly, wondering where they came from, while they sit there, firmly rooted, smiling smugly back at you.

A couple of months ago, I "turned around" and realized that a habit had formed.  Thankfully, this one is a good one!

Moses takes two naps a day, so including bedtime at night, he gets put down three times a day.  I had started asking him, "Moses, you want to go 'ni-night'?" (I ask rhetorically; he's going 'ni-night' whether he wants to or not!)

But almost every time, he jumps right into the routine:  he takes stock to make sure that we have the essentials (binky, blanket, and sippy cup) and then toddles off to his bedroom, climbs into his rocking chair, and reaches for the lamp to (try to) turn it on.  Then, after I pick him up, sit down, and cuddle him in my lap, he lunges over the side of the chair, reaching for the books in the basket on the floor.  I read him a few little books, turn off the lamp, sing "Jesus Loves Me," and put him in his crib.

Nearly every time (three times a day!), the whole operation goes off without a whimper.

To understand how amazing this is, you need to KNOW Moses...my always-on-the-go, never-stop-moving little boy.  If he doesn't want to sit and cuddle in your lap, he will make it very clear.  And he almost NEVER wants to sit and cuddle...except for at bedtime.

When I first started reading to him, he would squirm and grab at the books and try to pull them away to chew on them or throw them on the floor or turn the pages at his own rate (very quickly!).  Before long, though, he learned I wouldn't let him...and my rambunctious, energetic little guy now settles back against me, cuddling up quietly to listen to familiar rhythms of words and enjoy the same sweet pictures.

It's become a habit.

I've been studying Psalm 23 recently, and I learned that in verse 3 ("He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake"), the word "paths" can be translated "tracks" or even "ruts."  Paths, tracks, and ruts are all formed the same way--one travels over the exact same spot enough times that the way becomes worn down, making it even more likely that the person will continue following the exact same way in the future.

Just like habits.

So Moses slips just as easily into his bedtime routine as a wagon wheel slips into a rut.

So CJ won't settle down properly at night unless he's been read a picture book AND an excerpt from his Bible story book AND he's been prayed with AND first one parent, then the other sings "Jesus Loves Me" to him.

So CJ reminds Micah that he has to kiss him AND Moses AND mommy before he walks out the door, EVERY TIME.

So Moses toddles to the front door, squealing excitedly, EVERY TIME he sees daddy's truck pull up (even, unfortunately, when Micah's only home to grab a tool from the garage!).

They know what to expect, because the same course of action has happened enough times that a rut has formed.

Unfortunately, bad habits form just as easily, if not more easily, than good ones.

I've formed many habits in my life, too.  Good habits and bad habits.  Habits of action...and habits of thought, too.

The Lord has convicted me recently about certain attitudes and thoughts, and together we've been "working on" these things.  It's been a struggle.  Certain things happen, and my automatic mental response seems to always be the same, no matter how hard I try otherwise.  I was getting so frustrated!

But then I stumbled across the explanation of Psalm 23:3, and I realized why I was struggling--I had reacted with the same thoughts to the same circumstances so many times that I had formed "thought ruts"!  Mental habits!  So to break these wrong attitudes and thoughts, I would need to form NEW habits, NEW ruts...ruts of RIGHTEOUSNESS!!

Because those are the kinds of paths God wants us to follow...righteous ones.  For HIS NAME'S SAKE.

Proverbs 31 says that the excellent woman "looks well to the ways of her household" (v. 27).  There's that same idea--ways, paths, ruts, habits.

So what are the ways of my household?  What paths do we follow...together and individually?  What are our ways of doing things?

Bedtime routines?

Morning routines?

Mealtimes?

Use of free time?

Reactions?

What are our habits?  Are they righteous?

Are we bringing glory to the name of our Good Shepherd...or shame?

"He leads me in paths of righteousness FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE."--Psalm 23:4