On the role of habit in the spiritual life

For at least the past year, I've been thinking a lot about the power of habit, both good and bad.  I think it's something worth reflecting on.  There's wisdom in the quote attributed to Aristotle that we are what we repeatedly do.

One of the biggest difficulties in the spiritual life is inconsistency.  We go through periods of zeal (often after reading the Scriptures or the lives of the saints), where we want to change our lives dramatically all of a sudden, to turn our hearts to God and seek Him.  Later, the zeal fades and we stumble more.  A bit later, it returns again.  And so we find ourselves caught in the constant ebb and flow of the moment and we make no real progress towards Christ.  The bad habits we have built over years remain and we make only slight progress in developing good habits.

If we want to address this, if we want to be cured, to allow the grace of God to penetrate our hearts and transfigure us, I think it's important that we begin to take a long view of things, rather than expecting instant change.  There are some saints, especially martyrs, whose lives changed dramatically in an instant.  But even for most of the martyrs, they were prepared for martyrdom by long years of patient, steady progress, seeking God.  In the Gospels, Christ doesn't tell us "Knock once and the door will be opened" or "Ask once and you will receive," but rather "Keep on knocking" and "Keep on asking."

St. Paul also talks about this when he points to the examples of the Old Testament saints and then says, "Therefore, let us run with endurance the race set before us, looking to Jesus." (Heb 12:1).

We must, then, make the effort daily to make slow and steady progress, asking God's help.  If we don't pray regularly, then we should start simply and say a few prayers, as regularly as possible.  If we're too greedy with our money and don't help others, we should begin by giving away a little more than usual, and then increase it.  If we're too addicted to food, we can begin by avoiding going back for seconds, or snacking.  If we have a bad temper, we can try just once to give a gentle answer.  If we're lazy, we can try to build a habit of doing just a little bit more around the house or at work.  If we're self centered, we can begin to try, even once in a while, to ask the people around us how they're doing and really listen to what they say.

All of this is important because it shows us what our salvation looks like.  We believe that everything that is true about God by nature becomes true of us by grace.  The grace of God is transformative.  That means that God doesn't care as much about what we do (single actions) but more about who we are and who we become.  And we are what we continually do.

What are your thoughts on habit?

A grain of wheat

"The Brothers Karamazov," perhaps the greatest work by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, begins with an epigraph, a verse from the Gospel of John: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24).  This verse is a fitting choice, because throughout the rest of the book, the theme of voluntary self-denial is woven throughout the narrative -- it is there when Fr. Zosima tells the story of the "Mysterious Stranger" and his reluctance to confess his crime, when the sick and dying Markel voluntarily places himself below his own servants and even asks forgiveness from the birds, and when Ivan struggles with how to react to his brother's trial, given what he knows.  Above all, it is found in the saying repeated over and over again: "We are each of us guilty before all people and for the sins of all people, and I more than any."

The Christian acceptance of death can be either through repentance for the actual sins and failings that we've committed or it can be through the voluntary bearing of the burdens of our friends, neighbors, and even (and especially!) our enemies, according to what St. Paul says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal 6:2).  Whichever it is, however, it is a voluntary taking up of and sharing in the Cross of Christ and like His Cross, it is a life-giving and life-creating death.

This idea is particularly shocking to us because we're raised to think and do the opposite.  We're taught that we deserve to have what we want, that we have a right to it.  When we help other people, it's usually out of whatever we have left over.  We're not just unwilling to lay down our lives literally for others, but often unwilling even to be seriously inconvenienced.  We cling to our lives with both hands and yet, we cannot hold onto them.  If we try to save our lives, we lose them.

However, throughout my life, I've met many people who show that there is another way to be, another way to live.  People that radiate a humble love.  People that are always willing to listen when someone is going through a difficult time, to pray for them, to weep and rejoice with the sorrows and joys of those around them.  People who find their lives, not in themselves, but in others.

I want to learn how to be like those people.  Please pray for me.