Bad Habits

Mental Note:  Remember these are "random" thoughts.

My Grandmother helped me shop for my first plug of tobacco.  I was 9 - I thought my grandmother was "cool."  Little did I know she was teaching me a lesson.  I chose "Bull of the Woods." - One hundred heaves later I realized it was a bad choice - I was sticking to Bubble Yum.

Not too many years ago I was helping that same grandmother (who was now 93) check into the nursing home.  In filling out the paperwork there was a blank:  Do you or have you ever used any tobacco products? "Yes, I have smoked Prince Albert, Camels, and Winston's - dip some three dot Garrett snuff and every now and then chew a plug of Apple Jack or Bull of the Woods."  

"Well, Mrs. Johnson that is not good for your health." "How long have you been doing this?" they probed. Grandmother Johnson - "since I was 9."

We're creatures of habit, and that's not always a bad thing. It's the way we're made. And no one is going to learn to do something well unless some habits are involved. The problem is bad habits and habits that are not good enough. 

Did you hear about this man?  "I can't break my wife of the habit of staying up until five in the morning." "What is she doing?" asked the friend. "Waiting for me to get home." Bad habits!

A woman walks up to a little old man rocking in a chair on his porch. "I couldn't help noticing how happy you look," she said. "What's your secret?" "I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day," he said. "I drink a case of whiskey a week, eat fatty foods and never exercise." "That's amazing," said the woman. "How old are you?" "Twenty-six." Bad habits!

I have some habits.  For one - why do I too often judge people based on their outer appearance, and not take the time to find out what is in their hearts?  I know better!  So how do I move away from showing partiality and making harmful distinctions?  Maybe my answer is not in better theology or biblical interpretation.  Better habits - perhaps?

I have watched those crazy Febreze commercials where folks smell only a "island breeze" or "country meadow" or "clean lenin" while sitting in a dump?  Funny - when Febreze was launched as an odor-cleaning product in 1993, it flopped. Why? Because people with stinky houses didn't know they needed it. But when the company discovered that people are proud to finish their chores, they suggested a new habit -- a reward with a blast of Febreze. (Pavlovian?)  The product now makes billions annually.

Imagine a rich man dressing in Gucci and feasting on caviar and truffles every day. At the gate of his exclusive community lies a homeless man named Larry, covered with rags, who would like nothing more than to satisfy his hunger with the scraps from the rich man's table. The rich man is in the habit of looking down on Larry and treating him like dirt, shouting "Get a job!"  he blasts through the gate in his Mercedes Benz every morning. Larry dies and is carried away by the angels.  The rich man also dies and is buried. From Hades, where he is being tormented, he looks up and sees Larry, just chillin'. Still in the habit of showing partiality and making distinctions, the rich man calls out, "Hey - Larry  bring me a Perrier; for I am in agony in these flames. Even in the afterlife, the rich man is treating the poor man like a servant."

Now - I understand that takes some liberty with Jesus' story of the rich man and Lazarus but moves from the first century to the 21st context (Luke 16:19-31). It is time for me to get in the habit of loving my neighbors as myself before it is too late.  Seeing words and deeds as two sides of the same Christian coin is the key to living a life of integrity and avoiding the charge of hypocrisy.  I need to replace the bad habit of favoritism with the good habit of respect for all people. Since my credibility is always going to be based on whether I practice what I preach, I need to find concrete ways to love my neighbor as myself ... instead of simply talking about it.

Saying I have faith is never enough. I have to make a habit of putting my faith into action.