Old habits die hard

The phrase 'Old Habits Die Hard' is an expression that has remained in common use for many centuries. There is a lot of debate as to who initially coined the phrase, with some people giving Benjamin Franklin the honour, as he wrote the words in a published article in 1758. Others claim that it may have been in use as early as the fifteenth century, but there is no concrete proof of this.

Anyway, regardless of its origins, we all understand it's meaning: Any established habits are hard to break. 

It is interesting that if I asked us if this phrase was used in a positive or negative context, most of us would lean towards the negative. I certainly relate this expression to the bad habits that I have a tendency to keep repeating - these old habits are hard to shake off and change. 

However, what if we took the expression solely in a positive perspective? The good habits that we have created over time (that are now viewed as old or established) are equally hard to break. They will not easily die off, if we keep nurturing them.

As we start 2023, I feel it is good practise to reflect on all our habits - both healthy and destructive - and to ask God to help us with each of these. The healthy habits need to be maintained, but the destructive ones need courage to quit or to change. 

Proverbs 18:9 - "Slack habits and sloppy work are as bad as vandalism." (The Message)

Questions:

1. What healthy habits do you need to feed and grow this year?
2. What destructive habits must you stop?
3. What new habits can you create, that will become 'old' and resilient habits for future years?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Old habits die hard

There is a saying that says "old habits die hard", implying that it is often very difficult to change our old habits. This can be very true in certain circumstances and if we want to change these habits, we need to put measures in place to change our behaviour. What do I mean by this? Well let me give you an example from everyday life...

...living in the midst of a water crisis in the Western Cape has taught us to preserve water and to come up with creative ways of reducing consumption. The old habit of flushing the toilet after every visit has had to change and this took time to put into practise. It wasn't easy at first, because when you have flushed the loo for years and years, you take it for granted that you can simply do the same in a new home. In order to help us all remember, we ended up turning the water supply off at the wall, which immediately helped us 'remember' to get water from the shower instead.

So, here is the big question: When we have other habits that impact upon our relationship with Jesus, what measures are we willing to put into place in order to make things better? I feel that if we don't make conscious plans then our old habits will continue to distract us from true worship of Jesus.

Isaiah 65:17-19 - “Pay close attention now: I’m creating new heavens and a new earth. All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten. Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I’m creating: I’ll create Jerusalem as sheer joy, create my people as pure delight. I’ll take joy in Jerusalem, take delight in my people:

What do you think?

Living in Grace
D3LM3