Imagine yourself at the edge of wilderness. To both of the
left and the right you see thick bush, wild animals, swampland and miles of
endless forest. To even take one step into that mess would require extreme care
and effort to carve out your step. However right in front of you, there is a
trodden down footpath where people have travelled thousands of time before.
You’re not 100% sure that it leads you down a straight path to the other side
of the wilderness, but it sure seems a lot easier than carving your own
way.
Thought patterns are a funny thing. Every time we think and
act in a given way, we create a neural pathway for ourselves that is more
easily travelled the next time we are faced with the same set of circumstances.
Do it once and the second time is easier. Do it 10 times and starts to become
ingrained in us. Repeat it for years, and it becomes as clear as a trail
through a forest. This is great for us when it comes to good thoughts patterns.
It makes life easier and takes away some of the stress of making decisions for
stuff we already have figured out. But when it comes to negative thoughts and
addictions, it presents quite an issue. To act or think in any other way than
how we have become accustomed to feels like cutting your way through a wilderness
area.
We like to think that life is full of singular, one time
decisions and we’re free to choose however we wish tomorrow. But tomorrow’s
choice has already been influenced because of today’s choice. The path has been
laid out for us. Every trip down that path not only solidifies the habit for
us, but it makes choosing anything else that much more of a wilderness. And
even when we try to kick the habit and live differently, it’s like stepping
into that wilderness. We get pricked by a thorn. We feel lost and unsure of how
to proceed. It feels slow and unnatural. Why would we keep going through a
painful and unknown path when there is a perfectly comfortable and natural path
already made for us?
Life change is not easy. Addictions can be deep rooted in a
person’s life genetically, psychologically and may have been re-enforced by
life.
However just because something is difficult and feels
unnatural, it doesn’t mean there isn’t value in the journey. One of the worst
excuses we can ever tell ourselves is, “That’s just the way I am” It’s more
like, “That’s just how I’ve always done it.” Change happens one step at a time. It's slow. It's methodical. It's painful at times. But it's doable.
Try to make a new path in your life this week.
Careful - those first few steps will be slow and awkward.
By next week, it might feel a little more natural.
If you’re interested in learning more on this, download the
message from Sunday June 25th at PORTICO, looking at how Moses from
the Bible experienced this.
http://www.porticocanada.ca/audio
Comments
Post a Comment