Try,
Try Again...?
By Susan Klein
"Are you so foolish?
After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by
human effort?"
Galatians 3:3
Galatians 3:3
How
precious it was to watch the tiny sparrow flitting in and out of her new
home! I had dried a large gourd over the
winter and hollowed it out with the intent of using it as a birdhouse this
spring. I strategically hung it just outside my screen porch window so I could
keep an eye out for any winged visitors. This was the day!
She
busily gathered bits and pieces of this and that from the yard and surrounding
woods, carefully carrying them back to her new abode. Often she’d stop, alertly
perched on the post above to make sure there were no predators nearby before
disappearing inside the gourd. On one of her comings and goings, I noticed a
twig in her beak that was more than twice her size. As she approached the tiny
opening and tried to place her find inside, its length became a hindrance.
After much pushing and shoving, it eventually fell to the ground where a pile
of many other failed attempts had gathered. I guess she hadn’t learned from her
earlier struggles.
I
started to think about my own life. How many times had I tried to repeatedly do
something only to continue to fail? Like the time I committed to only using
“kind words” when speaking to my husband. Each time a critical or harsh word
flew out of my mouth, I felt my pile of mistakes growing. Like the sparrow, I
had good intentions but hadn’t learned from my previous mistakes.
Unlike
the sparrow, we are not foolish creatures without the ability to reason. We
also have the privilege of seeking help from our heavenly Father. Once I
committed my failures to God in prayer, and asked for His power to be made
perfect in my weakness, things started to change for the better. I also spent
some time learning about breaking bad habits. I discovered that any pattern of
behavior developed over a long period of time generally takes a long period of
time to change. And one significant way to bring about change is by replacing the negative words/actions with positive
words/actions. Now, when I feel a negative thought starting to form into words,
I ask the Holy Spirit to give me something positive to say instead.
Learning
this new habit hasn’t come easily and I’m nowhere near a 100% success rate.
But, let’s just say that my pile of failed attempts is significantly dwindling!
GOING
DEEPER:
Might
you have a habit that you are currently struggling with? Even if you’ve already
committed it to God in prayer, try asking Him to help you find a positive
replacement action to practice.
FURTHER
READING:
Susan is We Women's Tuesday Morning Bible
Study Coordinator and one of its teachers. She and her husband Mark lead a couples'
small group in their home; she is also involved in inner city outreach.
