Forming a new habit takes somewhere between 21 and 28 days. That’s when, psychologically, it becomes routine, and no longer requires all the self-control you can muster. When you think about it, three to four weeks is a long time when you are battling your doubt, laziness, insecurity, forgetfulness, busy schedules and the other zillion things competing for your attention. This is what Scripture refers to as the flesh – and it’s a difficult thing to conquer.
However, not only am I convinced that it can happen, I am convinced it is necessary in order to follow Jesus purposefully and passionately. Part of it is creating new habits in our lives. At One Church, we are in a series that is centered around forming these new habits – prayer, Scripture reading, sharing and giving. These are the essentials that Jesus calls to live by, and to be honest, they don’t fit well in 21st century America. But forming these new habits are essential to our well-being, and can become a part of how we operate daily. These are known as spiritual practices, where we inject intentional moments to deal with matters of the soul into our everyday lives.
For me, the YouVersion reading plans have helped me begin to form a habit of reading Scripture everyday, because let’s be honest, we have all had those times where we look at a Bible and wonder where in the world to start.
I am reading through the Gospels in 30 days with the One Church group, and through the chronological plan which lasts a full year. I am hoping to form new habits in my life this year that will lead to a fuller understanding to what it means to follow Jesus.
Are you forming new habits? What are they and what are they teaching you?