Teaching Young Dogs New Tricks

Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits;
habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny. –Tyron Edwards

Ring, ring. What was that horrible noise? Ring, ring, ring. I groaned and rolled over, still not quite awake. Still the ringing persisted. Ring, ring! Only one thought dominated my sleepy mind: The ringing must stop. Eyes shut, I groped for the thing that was making the disturbing sounds, and clutched it angrily. Must...make...ringing...stop... With that thought, I hurled the noisy object as far away from me as I could possibly throw, and jolted suddenly upright as it hit the wall with a resounding thump. Thoroughly awake, I looked mournfully at the unfortunate phone lying on the floor.

Unusual? Not for me. Mornings have never been a thing I have enjoyed, to say the least! After the incident with the phone, my parents became reluctant to give me an alarm clock... lest I destroy it accidentally. Instead, a sibling or parent was delegated the awful job of "waking up Lindsey". Although I cannot actually pick up my family members and throw them against the wall, my fierce glares and sharp words became both feared and expected before long. I came to expect it also: my grumpiness in the mornings is routine. I easily transferred the blame to the poor person who had to awaken me, and excused my behavior by reminding myself that I really was not "a morning person", after all. It became a habit, and yet I scarcely thought of it or recognized it as such.

Habits are the expression of our values, and the templates for our character. Samuel Johnson once commented, "The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken."Although habits may appear trivial at first, the longer a person continues in their habits, the longer they are impacted. An old saying declares that "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." While the saying may not be accurate in every situation, it is true that it is easier to teach a young dog tricks that he will still know when he's older.

The development of character cannot be prevented. You and I will develop character, whether or not we wish to. We cannot remain in the same state that we are in; it is impossible. We have only two options when it comes to character. We may either build strong character, through the development of godly habits, or we may develop weak character, through the development of ungodly habits. There are no options besides progression or regression. Our habits are vital aspects of our lives, for these are the things which will be most instrumental in shaping our future.

In my case, my reaction in the mornings is a habit which procures the unwholesome character traits of anger, lack of self-control, self-centeredness, and rudeness. The first step is recognizing this area of sin in my life. The second step is repentance. True repentance means turning from one way to another; replacing one old habit with a new one. That is easy enough to say, of course. I have found that it is an extraordinarily simple thing to fashion ungodly habits for myself, while it is a truly daunting task to continue to practice godly ones. This fight against our sinful natures is a constant, unrelenting battle, and we will find it easy to tire. However, remember that we cannot rest, for when we are not actively strengthening our character, we are doing precisely the opposite. Conquering ungodly habits takes great amounts of effort and discipline, and this battle cannot be won in our own power. Only through Christ can we successfully form habits pleasing to Him, and only through His strength can we destroy those which are sinful. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, and His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning: great is His faithfulness! (Lament. 3:22-23)

"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:7-9