Reforming Habits

According to James Clear in his widely popular book on productivity, Atomic Habits, we are not so much the product of great decisions made in a moment but rather the steady accumulation of decisions made over a long period of time. Our character is forged on the anvil of small decisions leading to small actions leading to small habits leading to small changes in character repeated over and over. We are, therefore, formed by atomic habits.

I can see the intuitive outworking of the principle in my own heart. Over the past couple of years, I have become accustomed to the convenience of virtual meetings. But now, with more in-person interaction, I’m dealing with the inconvenience of not wearing shorts, of driving in traffic, of returning home much later than the time it takes for the computer down to shut down. This is essentially the challenge of loving my neighbor now when it was wise to distance myself from all neighbors before. I’m realizing that my heart is out of shape. I need to go, literally, the extra mile. How do I reform my bad habits?

Clear provides some insight. He writes, “It’s hard to change your habits if you never change the underlying beliefs that led to your past behavior. You have a new goal and a new plan, but you haven’t changed who you are” (31). Clear wants to get to the root. Habits are changed when you change who you are… when you change your underlying belief. This accords with what the apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:11-12, “11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” Paul wants believers to fortify their beliefs on the gospel truth that they are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. Though this identity is not forged by believers, themselves, but is given by the very grace of God in salvation.

I appreciate how Clear describes the importance of habits. Our actions matter. If unchecked they will form our identity. But how do we get a new identity? Many believe that we can make ourselves new. But Scripture reminds us that this is an impossible task. We cannot reform our own hearts. But Jesus can by His gospel grace. And this new identity in Christ is the foundation on which we can reform our habits by the power of His Spirit. May we consider stale habits that have grown over the years and renew them for the good of others and the glory of God as we stand upon our gospel identity in Christ.