Addictions are charged with judgment because much of our own will is involved (at least in the beginning). It's not like a can of beer just pours itself into someone's mouth; drugs don't launch themselves into someone's blood stream unaided, someone has to lift that first cigarette to their lips. What makes some addictions so dangerous is the way in which they can fundamentally change our brain and/or our body. Chemical addictions can quickly move from something within our control to something out of our control (without outside intervention). On the other hand, we tend to consider health problems in a more forgiving light: stroke, heart attacks, even some forms of cancer. But are all those ailments truly guiltless? Do we not all bear some responsibility for the choices we have made that made us more vulnerable to those conditions?
If decades of one's life were spent on a tanning bed or baking in the sun, a diagnosis of melanoma should not be a complete surprise. If you have boasted about how much you hate exercise and refuse to make any effort to be active, should there be any doubt that one's heart will be compromised? I have recently come to realize that we should be viewing traumatic health events as God's wake up call. When the alarm goes off, we can either get up and make changes or hit the snooze and wait for the next alarm (it will come!). And if we keep snoozing, at some point, we may not wake up at all--literally. While this thought, for a Christian, may not be fearful, there are others who are often negatively impacted by refusing to consider our health. And the bottom line is that when we abuse or neglect our own body, we are poorly managing the one body we have been given.
In my journey toward health, I am reimagining rehabilitation as "Rehabitation" instead. Within that word are three smaller words that can help me focus on three areas that need changing:
- Rehab: rewiring my responses and charting a new course
- Habit: forming of predictable, routine actions
- Habitation: the place in which I dwell (in mind, body & spirit)
So let's consider "Rehabitation" as literally remodeling the place in which I habitate which can involve the mind as well as the physical space in which we live. Time to zero in on each one and explore how each aspect can contribute to success (or failure).
Rehab
We are in the midst of a bathroom rehab at the moment (relying on someone else's skill, not ours). We had the niggling of a problem several years ago when black mold started developing. Then there was the slightly spongy floor near the tub which may have been the result of one too many "spillovers" of bath water. (Some were from kiddos, but I am embarrassed to say that some were also from my own displacement of water exceeding the tub capacity). We replaced the floor, painted with kilz and were more careful about overflow. And yet, over time, the tell tale signs returned indicating there was a more fundamental expensive problem.
After a number of other factors contributed to the need for a bathroom redo (including a tub we'd managed to scrape the finish off of), we bit the bullet and ripped it all out and opened the wall. Our fears were confirmed that we'd been having a small water leak behind the walls. [Have to provide a disclaimer that our favorite handyman was NOT the original installer of that tub so he bears no blame].
Much like that slow water leak behind the wall, my life was a disaster under the surface. I had let past failure, cruel teasing from classmates, and depression contribute to the behind-the-scenes damage that slowly worked its way to the surface of my life. Little by little that leak reared its ugly head in the form of obesity. Thankfully, I had a friend (handywoman) who helped me rip out the old garbage of wrong thinking and behaving and walked with me through a rehab of my and body. That's the physical rehab.
But even more importantly, is making sure we deal with a spiritual rehab. We can go through life ignoring the black mold on our soul--the existence of sin that creates a separation between us and the loving Creator who made us. But that doesn't change the reality of our condition just as ignoring the problem in my bathroom didn't make it go away.
Consider this: we all have the predisposition to sin according to Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That means left on our own, we are all a mess under the surface. That predisposition comes with some good and bad news; Romans 6:23 spells out the bad news first, "For the wages of sin is death," but thankfully that verse follows up with the good news: "but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Until we surrender to God and let him pull back the curtain and deal with that sin that entangles us and keeps us from a relationship with God, we are ignoring the black mold in our soul. If we want to see rehab in our life, we need to start with the root issue--our sinful condition that keeps us enslaved to sin. So the power to change really begins in our own powerlessness: the realization that we need God to do the remodeling of our heart and willingly surrendering to a demolition of our old man. Anything short of a soul transformation, is like replacing the floor or painting Kilz over the walls of our life. It offers a cosmetic short-term cover but not a long-term solution.
Habit
Once we place under the Master Contractor, then the remodeling can begin and habits can play a big part in the rebuilding phase. Think of a habit as an action you practice regularly. The reality is that we can choose good habits or bad. Wouldn't it be nice if all our sinful habits would just evaporate after we decide to follow Christ? Alas, heart transformation takes time and effort and victory over sin involves a lot of retraining of old habits into new. Some of the habits of our sinful heart include gluttony, gossip, half-truths or outright lies, slander or covetousness. Consider that the power of a habit involves the frequency with which we practice it. Just as a river can erode rock over time, so can sinful habits erode our soul when practiced over time.
January is the perfect time to take a look at our habits. With a new year fresh with promise, it's like planting season for habits. Each new action is like planting a seed and the repetition of that action increases the yield in our future harvest. Planting is the starting point of a habit, but just like seeds, habits need sun and water to flourish. And let's not forget the importance of diligently removing weeds--those bad habits that keep trying to choke out good ones.
Some things that can serve as sun and moisture for good habits include:
- Writing out the action step as a promise (I will drink x ounces of water, I will get up at x time)
- Asking a friend to hold you accountable by calling or texting daily
- Setting alarms on your phone to carry out the action
- Establishing rewards as you meet intermediary goals (when I drink 32 oz, I'll read for 32 min)
And how might we start the weeding process of those bad habits choking out the good?
- If pop is derailing your water intake, remove that temptation (and save money!)
- Want to rise early? Refuse to stay up past a certain time
- Struggle maintaining a clean kitchen? Challenge yourself to wash all dishes before bedtime
- Curb spending by seeing how many days you can go without shopping (even online)
When I try to form new habits, the biggest help to me has been building in rewards as I go along. When COVID hit and I was trying to get out to walk more, I would bribe myself with the promise of streaming something in the evening. If I walked, I could watch something. If I didn't walk that day, I wouldn't get to watch something. Find a reward that motivates you. If you are motivated to read, sew, do a puzzle, or cook then tie those activities with the successful completion of your new habit. Eventually, a good habit can become a reward in itself. I really did find that as I walked more, I looked forward to it more. I began to experience the benefits of feeling less stiff and having more energy which in turn motivated me to walk even more.
What habit seeds are you ready to start planting? Write them down and make sure to list the ways you plan to water, provide sun, and tackle weeds in your garden.
Habitation
Rehab dealt with ripping out the old and habits were the building blocks of any effective remodel. Now let's focus on habitation: the conditions and environment in which we dwell. Particularly, where am I allowing my thoughts to dwell? Is it in a pit of self-condemnation? Is my mind constantly flooded with feelings of failure? Am I mentally placing the blame for my physical ailments onto familial genetics (while conveniently ignoring my part in those struggles)? Guilty as charged. No matter what predispositions I may have, or what medical histories are lurking in my family tree, I need to recognize two things. First of all, predisposition is not a license to continue in bad habits. And secondly, God is bigger than any predisposition I may have. Let's consider what the Bible has to say about weakness:
"But he has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV)
Beyond salvation, if our weakness means a greater portion of God's strength, then we can start to reframe how we view a weakness. The right view of a weakness should be the opportunity to experience greater amounts of God's grace. And if conquering weakness ultimately depends on relying on God's grace and power (not just my own), then it's God who ultimately gets the glory, not me.
Take a hard look at where your mind dwells and make a new habit of memorizing Scripture to help rehab your mind. Committing God's Word to memory can be a tremendous help in taking "every thought captive to obey Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5b). Scripture helps not only guard our mind against attacks from within (our "stinkin' thinking" or self-defeating messages we tell ourselves), but also helps protect against the attacks from without (whether the world or the devil feeding us lies).
Don't just wish for a remodel of your life. Pray, plan, and partner
with someone to help in your own process of "Re-Habit-ation."
Excellent read! You make "rehabitation" sound attainable - doable!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Best wishes on whatever "rehab" projects you are working on!
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