Well I’m pleased to say I’ve had a better week than the last two. Despite a mini water park voluntarily emerging in my basement yesterday, this week has still been good.
…We’ve been working on a house project and with that we had our washer and dryer permanently moved from upstairs to the basement to allow more space. After a week of working smoothly the sump pump (which is supposed to push water out of the basement) backed up and we ended up with water pooling up on the utility room floor and seeping into the hallway. It could’ve been much worse but thankfully my husband noticed it early, located the issue and it should be back in working order soon!
As our house remodel has been underway, I’ve been consistently reminded of the word “habit”.
First off the idea of moving the washer and dryer to the basement to begin with seemed ironic to me from a reasonable point of view because having them upstairs sounds pretty convenient right? When the washer and dryer are steps away from the dining room table you’d think a person could create an effective system out of that.
And I’m sure most people could.
Not me though.
I operate on distraction mode…usually…so often times when I’d make it a point to do the laundry (when it was upstairs) I’d be interrupted by something else and not great about sticking with my task of washing clothes.
I’d deeply formed a bad habit.
But I knew, like all routines, a new habit was possible once they were moved downstairs and I could train myself to do better. And up until yesterday’s messy surprise I had!! I actually look forward to doing laundry now that it’s in the basement. Weird.
Our remodel has brought a lot of changes and things have been temporarily put in new places. Two of those things are the dogs’ food and water dishes and our kitchen trash can.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve went to throw something away and been reminded that the trash can is no longer in the same spot.
And it’s been funny watching the dogs jet over to their “refueling station” only to do a quick u-turn remembering that their dishes have been relocated to my bedroom for the time being.
None of these mindless habits are such a big deal that I’ll lose sleep over them but it shows how easily routines stick, for better or worse.
We all fall into the patterns of habit—physical or mental habits. Good habits. And not so good habits.
Sometimes we become so comfortable in our ways that we can’t easily recognize when we’ve gotten in the rut of a bad habit.
We must intentionally take inventory noticing if those traits are healthy or not.
When it comes to bad habits Paul has some thoughts to share with us and some follow up advice. Let’s check out what he says in Romans chapter 7.
That’s a whole lotta “I’s” and “do’s” and “not’s” and “sin,” right?! But what Paul is saying is that he recognizes some bad habits have taken shape in his life and he wants to deal with them.
In verse 21b Paul sums up those verses above by saying this: “Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.”
I so get this issue! Can anyone else relate with Paul and I?
So many things I get frustrated about with myself. In this type of ‘game’ I’m my own worst enemy at times. Forget the sidelines, I’m right there catching the negatives that Satan’s throwing.
This piece of scripture Paul writes is one of my favorites and I’ve made a GOOD HABIT of coming back to it time and time again because reminders are good and necessary.
Verses 24 and 25 are where the answer dominates the obstacle of a bad habit—whatever it might be: “What a wretched man am I! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
That right there is the solution—Jesus Christ brings us to the other side of our bad habits. He is our rescue—from the negatives, from sin, from the bad habits we’ve fallen into Jesus will help us overcome.
Sweet friends whatever the struggle might be, we need to make a positive habit of going to Jesus again and again so we echo His example of healthy Christian living! He is our strength and hope, and following Him is a habit I never want to take for granted!!
Weekend blessings to you all!❤️
For His Purpose 
Praise God! Loved your post!
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Thank you, that’s really sweet of you!
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Honey it’s truth, keep it going💯❤️
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I’m from South, we say “Honey” alot around here.
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Haha❤️
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Amen. Thank you very much for sharing such a blessed post. Take care. 🌸🙏😊
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Thanks so much for reading and commenting!!🙂
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My pleasure. 😊🙏🌸
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If I lived closer, I could bring my laundry there lol
Our habits can definitely either contribute to our walk with God or distract us from it.
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Eeekkk not sure I’m enjoying laundry that much!😅
‘Our habits can definitely either contribute to our walk with God or distract us from it.’ …well said!!❤️
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“Whistle while you work…”. That can be a habit. Lol. Habitual things. Some personalities suffer more than others. God knows how He made us and what plaques us. There’s peace in knowing that. God’s grip – Alan
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😊I’ll be having that song in my head now when I’m working on the house today.😂
You’re right, thank you Alan!!
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I always liked those Bible verses too. I appreciate the fact that Paul clearly explains his struggles. This helps us to know we are not alone in our struggles. Habits can be so hard to break or make, in our own strength. But you hit the nail on the head – when we cling to Jesus, He can help us make the right habits and remove the wrong ones. Thanks for this encouraging post! Blessings, friend! 💕🌸
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Yes, good comment!! It is so helpful to read over the struggles in scripture so we know we’re not alone! Those issues (or bad habits) we have point us to Jesus for answers and peace.
Have an amazing week!
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This is so encouraging and something I definitely need right now. It seems like home improvements are one step forward, 2 steps back sometimes and that can get so frustrating and stressful! Thank goodness Jesus is right beside us holding our hand and reminding us to just breathe.
I’m so glad your water issue wasn’t much worse!
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Hey Michelle!! You are so right—‘house projects are one step forward, 2 steps back sometimes!!!’
We’ve had to run to Home Depot several times but it’s three hours from us and Menards (which is similar) is an hour, those trips alone take most of the day so it slows the process even more. I’ve been trying to remind myself this remodel is a fantastic way to build patience…gotta get in the “habit” of thinking positive!😉
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Thanks so much, I am right next to you and Paul.
I do, I want to, sin and you stop in your track when the Holy Spirit points out what is happening. The words from God through Paul is very comforting and it always says we not to bad if Paul did we can too. We have Jesus, He overcame it all.
Love this reminder. Bless you and we walk on the winning side 🤗♥️
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I just came by. I have made it a habit to waken, grab my Bible, and notebook, and head for the den where I can sit, and read the Word for a while, or for a few minutes. Most of the time no one is awake, and it is my opportunity to sit down, and read the Word as long as I want. It is a quiet time. Even the animals are asleep. I do have to put water on my face, but otherwise, I’m up. I have a check off sheet for the chapters, and books I have read. Soon the Bible is read. I start again, and again. This is my secret for the day. I stay long enough for the Presence of God to impact me, and then I think about it during the day. He helps me read, because when I draw close, He is right there. I use a line journal for writing down the passage that speaks most to me. It isn’t much to write, but in hard times, I review what I have written. The amount of time varies, but when I have an appointment I get up earlier to make this time. Secrets of the Secret place is a book I have read. It is true, there is no secret what God can do. A cup of hot Green Tea helps with staying alert.
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I love love love this…so inspiring, this is something I NEED to do!! I need to make it a habit just like you’ve done. The idea of quiet time (no animals awake even) is something my faith is lacking right now.
The beautiful thing about good habits is that once you begin them you desire them and it’s easy to keep at it!
Thank you so much for sharing this!
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If I had a dime for every time I started to go the wrong way because something had been moved …
Laundry needs to be in the basement. It forces me to go up and down the stairs, which my knees need to keep doing. (Use them or lose them.”) And this time of year, when the basement is ten degrees cooler than the rest of the house, I get a LOT of laundry done.
I get frustrated with myself, too, Alicia. Aren’t you glad God is more patient with us than we are with ourselves?
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Hey good point about going up and down the stairs for laundry to keep those knee joints moving! I wondered if I would regret this someday but that’s a good point!
I’m sooooo incredibly thankful for God’s patience!!! Yes indeed!!!🙌I honestly can’t even believe how patient He is with us, mind blowing really…so much mercy and grace. Thank you for the great comment, good time of reflection for me.
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