Habits

I am making the transition to a new school next year well actually it’s the school I grew up in. And so I am teaching with some of my old teachers. One in particular who inspired my desire to teach was Ms. Myers and I ran into her in the hallway the other day and she said, “Please don’t call me Ms. Myers, please call me Mary.” I replied with an “o.k.” thinking it was no big deal. But do you realize how hard it is to break a habit you have had since 3rd grade? And I’ve seen Ms. Myers a lot since then, her son graduated with me and she has always been Ms. Myers and now I have to call her Mary! It is going to take a lot of practice this summer. But then I got to thinking about how hard it is to break any habit. We are told it takes 21 to make a habit. But it can take a lifetime to break one. No wonder Jesus tells us that we must daily take up our cross. Daily we must die to ourselves because those habits keep rising up in us again. Our old self is fighting to come out but we must remember we are a new creation in Christ. New habits can be formed and He will gain all the glory from it.

Orginally written: June 8, 2009