My father used to say I had the memory of an elephant–a dead one. It is true. I have always had trouble remembering things. I have compensated for my poor memory by developing habits. I can find my car keys most mornings, because I habitually put them in the same place. Habit has been an important factor in my spiritual development. Until prayer became habitual in my life, it was too haphazard to do much good. My spiritual life became fuller when prayer became a habit.
 

It’s not just habit that has had an affect on my spiritually, but a cluster of related qualities–habit, discipline, and a sense of duty. Sounds pretty dull, doesn’t it? It’s true that there is very little spontaneity in my life. I have found, however, that I can’t trust my feelings of the moment to lead me in the right direction. Having suffered from bouts of clinical depression, I can tell you that there have been times when I didn’t feel like doing much of anything–certainly not praying or meditating or reading Scripture. It has been habit, discipline, and sense of duty that has kept me in contact with the never-failing offering of the Holy Spirit.

God never forgets us, but sometimes we forget God. I have learned there are ways to combat that forgetfulness. Over the next weeks I will be writing about what I have learned in terms of discipline and habit. I am not sure if this will be helpful to everyone. Please let me know what you think.

In the meantime . . .

Read Psalm 42, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

Today’s Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm42&version=NRSV