Page 6 September 30, 2021 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor
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Health h • Fitness • Mind • Spirit piri p irit • Medicine dicine • Well-Being W
Habits for a healthy soul I t happens automatically, without me willing or thinking about it. A long day ends, I open the cupboard and reach for the bag of salt and vinegar potato chips. Yes, this article is titled “Habits for a Healthy Soul,” not “Habits for a Healthy Body,” but hear me out about the potato chips. They’re my clockwork craving after a stressful day. Regardless of whether they’re good for my body or my soul, I reach for that bag, not out of a conscious decision, but out of habit. Psychologists today have realized that we don’t really think about most of our actions. Some estimate that about 5% of our daily decisions require conscious deliberation, while the other 95% of what we do takes place on autopilot. And it turns out that autopilot is programmed not by what we think but by the habits we regularly act out. Common sense advice about physical health often comes back to regular habits: eat healthy daily, exercise regularly and take your prescriptions as directed. The same is true about our spiritual health. The habits we cultivate are what shape us for spiritual growth and healing — or for spiritual decline and death. As Tish Harrison Warren writes in her excellent book “Liturgy of the Ordinary,” our “habits and practices shape our loves, our desires, and ultimately who we are and what we worship.” If our habits shape what we love and worship, then a healthy spiritual life will include habits that lead us to love and worship God. What sort of habits have that effect? Here are three that I’d recommend, one for the beginning, middle, and end of each day. (1) Listen. hat’s the first voice you hear when you wake up s it anxietyprovoking news, or attention-scattering social media? How would your life change if od’s voice was the first thing you heard each day, speaking to you through Scripture, or a devotional reading, or silent meditation? Developing a habit of listening to od first puts the rest of the day’s noise in holy perspective. If you’re not sure where to begin, try praying “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10). (2) Connect. We were created to be in a relationship with God and with other people. How would your life change if, in the middle of each day, you
reached out and checked in with just one other person? Perhaps it’s a friend who nourishes your soul. Or perGuest haps it’s someone whom you can bless through an act of Columnist kindness. Whether you’re meeting for lunch, going for a walk, or simply sending a text, connecting with others will give health to your soul and theirs. Sometimes our need for connection goes even deeper and requires more intentionality and awareness. Meeting with a counselor, spiritual director, pastor, or coach on a regular basis can also keep your soul healthy and whole. There’s no shame in asking for help and we who serve these roles are eager to serve. (3) Give thanks. The musician Stephen Kellogg sings, “I’ve got all I ever wanted, but I still cannot Chris believe / how I love to take for granted all the love that Brown comes to me.” We need habits of gratitude to ensure we don’t take for granted the ways God’s love shows up in our lives. find that the best time to do this is before going to sleep, looking back through the previous twenty-four hours and noting the blessings that arose in that time. Almost always, I discover that life is a lot better than I thought it was, that I have more to be thankful for than I realized and that God was still caring for me even when I wasn’t paying attention to God. find that when consistently practice listening, connecting, and giving thanks, I’m much less tempted to reach for the bag of chips at the end of the day. Or if I do reach for the chips, I do so with gratitude in my heart, so that I’m feasting mindfully rather than munching mechanically. I’ve also found that using a habit tracking app on my phone helps provide positive reinforcement for these healthy habits. I pray for all who read this that the Lord will lead you to habits that satisfy your soul as with a rich feast (Psalm 63:5). Chris Brown is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Berthoud. To contact Chris or learn more, visit: fir t re erth ud rg.
