Spiritual Triggers

Anybody out there have a bad habit you'd love to kick?  Whether it's biting your nails, the urge to quit smoking, or stop eating snacks while you watch TV, habits are tough to kick.  It seems that we all have bad habits we are trying to quit, and at the same time, we are trying to create new habits that seem so difficult to develop as a part of our regular routine...the diet, exercise, reading scripture, going to bed at a decent hour...I know you can all relate in some way or another.

I recently read an article from a CBS news site (read the full article here - http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-07/features/sns-201208071730--tms--pagliarictnrp-a20120807-20120807_1_habit-automatic-behaviors-snacks)  that estimates "that anywhere between 75 percent and 90 percent of our daily behavior is habitual.  In other words, most of what we do is not because it is the most efficient, most successful, or most productive, but simply because we've always done it that way."

As soon as I read this statement, I thought about the church and the spiritual implications of this article, especially for teenagers.  Pagliarni goes on to say, "most of our daily routine is conducted unconsciously...If our life is already on autopilot, doesn't it make sense to spend some conscious effort planning the route?"

Thinking about my life spiritually, I need that conscious effort because Satan is certainly good at distracting me with the sin of busyness.  I can run through a whole day, hit the hay, and wake up and do it all again without even thinking twice.  Not only am I operating out of my habitual nature, but I am certainly less aware of the ways God is so desperately trying to speak into my life and create a new awareness that His love should be more a part of my day than anything else.

Want busyness?  Just look at your own life...especially if you are the parent of teenagers, or multiple teenagers for that matter.  Yeah, that car you bought a year ago...it already has 33k miles.  Even scarier, our teenagers are learning that the busier you appear to be, the more productive you must be.  But, our habits seem to be driving us instead of God.  When I end up where my habits take me without being aware, I'm usually embarrassed or ashamed of the destination.  So really, in a busy world, how can I actually create good habits and get rid of the ones I'm not too proud to share with the world?

"If we don't have a new behavior that replaces the old, we will take the path of least resistance and revert back to the old behavior.  The solution then, is not to break the habit, but to replace it."  Ouch.  That felt a little too personal.

Alright, so how do we do this together?  Creating new habits takes three elements: motivation, ability, and a trigger.  Most self-help books or coaches start with motivation, but we can be excited about starting a new habit without actually doing it.  Anybody ever bought a bike planning to ride it each morning before work???  (ouch...again)

The article suggests we start at a new place...the trigger.  Most of us have the motivation and the ability.    Think with me spiritually.  My motivation to create new habits beneficial to my spiritual health is obvious...I want to honor God, I want to grow in Christ, I want to lead my family, I want to spread the Gospel, etc.  If I believe scripture, then I have the ability because God is constantly equipping me for each task He calls me to carry out.  I'm sure most of you reading this feel pretty much the same, but have the same honest struggles.  "The trigger is the reminder, the call to action, or the cue to take notice or do something...The key then, is to create at least one trigger for each new habit you want to create.  Use the environment as much as possible.  In the jogging example, I've coached people to leave their workout shorts and shoes next to their bed so their trigger is that they literally step into their jogging gear as they get out of bed."

Spiritual triggers...we need them, we could all use them, and our teenagers could develop great habits for their lives spiritually if we set them in a good direction, toward a great destination.  What triggers can you create for yourself personally?  How can we develop spiritual triggers for our families and the time we spend together?

Maybe Steph will let me put my bike next to the bed each night???