Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”
Habits can range from good to bad, from brushing your teeth to not buckling your seatbelt. Each person can learn to improve their subconscious behaviors by increasing their understanding of their atomic habits. According to Dr. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, “An atomic habit is a regular practice or routine that is not only small and easy to do but is also the source of incredible power; a component of the system of compound growth.” . All information in this blog post is taken from the following books: Atomic Habits by Dr. James Clear, Brain Science and the Bible by Drew Dick, and Habits of Grace by David Mathis and The Gospel Coalition.
To further understand how we can develop healthy habits, we will be examining habitual practices through the science, sanctity, and sustainability of our habits.
Let’s begin examining our habitual practices through the microscopic lens of science. The encoded habits in our routine shape our life. The accumulation of our habits is what shapes our daily lives. Willpower is the fuel behind our habits that are implanted into our routine. Interestingly enough, The book Brain Science and the Bible says that, “The American Psychological Association reported that a lack of willpower was listed as the number one character deficit.” Many people strive to accomplish great tasks through willpower; however, this fuel runs out.
Willpower is critical; habits are sustainable.
Drew Dick says that, “Our atomic habits drive a vast amount of our actions throughout the day, and 40% of our actions come from habit.”
Since 40% of our actions come from habit, we should ask ourselves this, “How do scientifically develop habits that will drive my tomorrow?” Scientifically, atomic habits have three processes of development including the action, f formation, and accumulation. Simply understanding the neurological formation of how habits work makes them easier to control. Dr. James Clear says “On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact.” We can further see how this takes place by looking at the habit loop. All habits follow the feedback loop of the cue, craving, response, and reward.
Furthermore, the brain is broken into two main regions: the Prefrontal Cortex and the Basal Ganglia. The Prefrontal Cortex is the teal color on the screen involved in thinking through new tasks The Basal ganglia is the second part of the brain. It deals with the formation and accumulation and is represented by the neon green color. At the beginning of the formation of a habit, the action is rewarded with a chemical called dopamine. Inside the front part of the brain, otherwise known as the Prefrontal cortex, is where the mental processing of the action is done. When done with continual repetition, the action becomes subconscious and “coded” into the hardwiring of the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia stores the coded information so that the action can be performed habitually without processing.
God created the scientific processes that our brains use, and this should leave us in awe.
We have learned about how habits are formed, now let’s see how our habits can affect our Spiritual growth in the sanctity of these habits. Our habitual practices should be shaped into sanctified goals rather than selfish goals. The power of habit not only keeps us from the folly of bad decisions; it can also transform spiritual exercises like Scripture reading and prayer.
Imagine how much our spiritual lives would be radically changed if we made a habit of doing what 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (ESV) says and, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
David Mathis emphasizes our morning habits when he said, “What we do first thing in the morning, over time, says a lot about our true priorities.” This directly connects to our Spiritual Disciplines and how we value our time with the Lord. Forming these good habits can make Bible intake and prayer into opportunities to sit at Jesus’ feet, listen to His voice, and choose the good portion that will never be taken away.
As David Mathis says in the book Habits of Grace, “Habits that get us into the Bible and prayer, and that keep us deeply connected in the body of Christ are spiritual life-savers.” If Jesus truly is our Lord, Savior, and the greatest treasure of our lives, we’ll desperately want to have Him reflected in the habits of our lives, and we’ll find it well worth the effort and energy to cultivate a modest new habit or two toward making Him increasingly our greatest joy.
After understanding the importance of the sanctity of our habits, let's discuss how we keep the good habits that lead to long term sustainability. If a habit is too ambitious, failure to routinely obtain the habit will discourage you. In the beginning, it’s more important to focus on the system that will produce actions rather than focusing on the end results. You need to focus on who you want to become in the process. The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build sustainable habits. As said in the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, the four laws are “(1) make [the habit] obvious, (2) make [the habit] attractive, (3) make [the habit] easy, and (4) make [the habit] satisfying.”
Billy Graham demonstrates this well in his habit of reading Scripture. When asked in an interview how Billy Graham stays in the Word, he said, “Wherever I am (...) anywhere, I leave my Bible open where I’ll notice it during the day. Every time I see it, I stop and read a verse or two.” Billy Graham’s habit of reading his Bible demonstrates the laws of behavioral change in how he made it easy and obvious. Furthermore, all habits follow the feedback loop of the cue, craving, response, and reward.
We have seen how aspect of sustaining habits is standardizing them. An original habit must exist before it can be improved. Experts from the book Atomic Habits by Dr. James Clear tell us that we must “Standardize before we optimize". In other words, You can’t improve a habit that does not exist.
C.S. Lewis referenced the sustainability of habits when he wrote in his book Mere Christianity, “Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last; but feelings come and go.”
We have learned about how habits are formed- the science- and how we can sustain these habits. So, I humbly ask you, What Are Your Habits? Each person can learn to improve their subconscious behaviors. We have examined science, sanctity and the sustainability of habits in knowing that the accumulation of our habits is what shapes our daily lives. The science shows the evidence, the sanctity shows the importance, and the sustainability shows the practicality. Each person can learn to improve their subconscious behaviors, so now let’s act on what we know. So, how can this be implemented on a practical level? A few ways include continuing habits like gathering with your church on Sunday. Or, Instead of jamming out in the car, use that time to “pray without ceasing”. Perhaps do not spend time on your phone until you read your Bible.
As the book Habits of Grace says,
“Your habits are, in fact, one of the most important things about you. Those repeated actions you take over and over, almost mindlessly, reveal your true self over time as much as anything else.”
Since 40% of our habits are repeated on a daily basis, what are your habits saying about you? Let’s be intentional about the decisions we make today so that what we do tomorrow is not happenstance.
I challenge you today to decide who it is you want to be - to start with that end in mind - and then begin to practice those habits, until they become atomic.
Written by Kelby Grace Beeson.
Citations:
Clear, J. (2021). Atomic habits: Tiny Changes,Remarkable results: An easy & proven way to build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. CELA.
DYCK, D. R. E. W. (2018). Taming dragons: Secrets to self-control from the Bible and brain science (a guide for sinners, ... quitters, and procrastinators). MOODY Press.
Jenkins, J. B. (2022, October 7). Precious memories: Billy Graham (1918-2018) - Jerry Jenkins: Retrieved January 8, 2023, from https://jerryjenkins.com/precious-memories-billy-graham-1918-2018/
Lewis, C. S. (1952). Mere Christianity.
Mathis, D. (2016). Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines. Crossway.
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