I slept in today.
It worried me because there was a time more than a year ago when I couldn’t seem to get up on time.
Every morning I would hit the snooze over and over or turn off the alarm and not get up. I moved my alarm clock across the room, but I would still turn it off and crawl back in bed.
That’s what happened today. I shut off the alarm and then I made the choice to get back under the covers and sleep for another hour and a half.
It felt unavoidable, but I was conscious of the moment when it could have gone either way.
I was standing up after shutting off the alarm. The next action was normally to turn on the light, head for the bathroom, then get dressed and go read my Bible for a while before exercising.
This time, my hand didn’t immediately reach out to turn on the light. I debated with myself for about five seconds and then I turned and headed for the bed.
When I woke up later, I felt so defeated. I didn’t like remembering how hard it had been to get out of bed so long ago. I feared I was going back to my old bad habit.
How silly! This was one day of sleeping in after months and months of getting up on time. I’m not going back. I know how good it feels to do the right thing.
There are areas of my life where I choose to do what God wants me to do quite easily. I’m free from those habits and sins and I’ll never go back.
There are other areas where I can’t quite seem to get free.
Overeating.
Procrastination.
Negative thinking.
As I think about those areas, I realize that I can usually notice the moment where it can go either way.
When I open the cupboard door, but before I reach for the chips.
When I think about doing some writing, but before I click to open Facebook instead.
When I notice a self-condemning thought, but before I agree with it and add a few more criticisms.
With Holy Spirit help and lots of practice, I can choose to do the right thing in each of those areas. I can get free and move ahead to better ways of eating, acting, and thinking.
Maybe you have some areas of your life that feel overwhelming and inescapable. Can you figure out the moment where things could go either way? Let’s practice noticing that moment and making the best choice right then. At first, we may only make a good choice two times out of ten. If we keep praying and practicing, eventually it will become six times out of ten…eight times out of ten…and then ten out of ten.
Once we’re free of those old habits and sins, let’s determine that we’re not going back!
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1 NIV)
Are you stuck in any bad patterns of acting or thinking? How can focusing on God help you to get free from those things and move forward in freedom?
As I was writing this week’s post, I couldn’t stop thinking about this old Keith Green song, so I thought I’d share it here. After being freed from slavery, the Israelites wanted to go back to Egypt. Let’s not be like them!