We both tend to do things that are just mind numbing time wasters. For me more often than not it’s either watching Netflix, or playing a stupid, unnecessary game on my phone. So in an effort to break this habit, I have deleted all but one game on my phone, the only game I kept is the one game I purchased that can be played with multiple people. I just did this deletion project on Tuesday, and now on Thursday, I can already say that it has been very difficult! When you learn to expect mind numbing tasks like playing games on a daily basis and all the sudden you no longer have them it’s this overwhelming process of “OK now what do I do? “
I truly think forming new habits might just be more difficult than breaking the old. But it’s definitely worth trying! And I think the best way to go about it is to include things that you already enjoy that aren’t mindlessly wasting our time. So in my first effort, I have been working on finishing a beautiful book that I started months ago. *Check it out here! Seriously, check it out!* It is a book about how to wait well when God has us in a season of waiting. It is just beautiful depiction of how we can wait and truly believe in the goodness of God at the same time. I have also finally gotten caught up on all my Bible studies that I am doing with my friends! They’ve been very patient with me as I continually follow behind. And it’s been wonderful! Having the small moments of silence and contemplation have truly bolstered my spirit.
Even just this morning, I was feeling down and concerned with waiting for a child, and weighed down by the demands of of my week at work and the process of of joining my family for a very unexpected and sudden funeral. The Bible study we had today was all about being filled by Christ and not getting our satisfaction out of worldly things. It reminded me of the amazing question a friend once asked me — if I would have Jesus as my priority even if He never provided a child for my family. And I want that answer to be yes! Another book I recently read (you really should check this one out too!!) was a huge encouragement in this! The characters chose the path Christ had for them even when it wasn’t the expected or necessarily the desired end. And they knew peace in it.
A huge habit I want to break is my need for noise. I want to be able to rest in stillness. I think in our culture it is especially difficult for us to be comfortable with silence. We have this constant need to fill the void with music or TV or people or any other such thing that will prevent us from truly thinking on our own. Silence is uncomfortable for us, silence isn’t comfortable for me. Silence, in the past has proven a trigger for fear, in fact, for me.
So how do we combat this fear and discomfort of silence? How do we grow in ourselves so that silence is a good thing, that silence is a peaceful thing, so that silence is a personal joy. My only thought and prayer is to see and hear God in the silence, in the stillness, in the increasing moments I choose to disconnect from the idle pursuits of social media and my phone altogether. I want to be able to focus on the relationships around me more than ever. I want to break the habit of being distracted by my phone so that any child who is added to our family knows that I care far more about them than the inanimate object in my hands.
We have goals of habits we want to form together. Like weekly trips in the summer/fall to play tennis. And then biweekly trips to go ice skating in the winter (I have a long way to improve). But the one I'm most excited about is trying to become very purposeful in having time to read with one another. We have a lot of work to do, but I'm planning on enjoying every bit of it.
Are there any new habits you are trying to form for your family? Any you need to seriously consider breaking? Want to break them with me?
