When we ask the fundamental question, "Who am I?"
We are not our name, we are not our car, we are not the tag on our sheet. The movie "Fight Club" plays with this idea, and it's ultimately rooted in questions that existentialist philosophers ask. Names, possessions and symbols depict and articulate something, but they do not address the question, "who we are." I am currently toying with the notion that who we are is a compilation of our habits.
Who I am is a composition of my habits which I have created. Habitual routines comprise a large percentage of our day, so there may be not better analysis of who I am then to say I am a conglomerate of the multiple habit forming patterns that I have grooved into myself. Who I am exhibits itself in how I spend my time. And how I spend my time is large based on my habits. Ergo, I am a pattern of habits reinforcing "Nick's" being and existence each and every day by continually exerting once again the same habitual patterns.
The problem obviously is that as a Christian I am now told to throw off the old pattern and habits of life of my old self, and to put on the new found in Messiah Jesus. Therefore, pursuit of Christianity entails a vigorous pursuit of habit breaking and habit making. How well I do at following Jesus the Servant is answered by how well I am able to tear away from the clutches of the sinful habits of my past, and how powerfully I can exert my will to recreate myself through the power of prayer.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
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2 comments:
Aristotle has some interesting thoughts on how habits form virtues and are the true telling mark of whether or not a man has a good life. What you have presented has weight for a couple reasons: 1) repentance can't be a quick haphazard "i'm sorry" (perhaps it can...) but it would seem that if we have habits of repentance and transformation then we truly experience "repentance". 2) i must slow down and realize that it will take time for habits to form; thus i need to first let God's Spirit have His way in me which equals a life of submission. this echoes of the call to take up your cross daily. i digress; good post Nick.
good additions Drew!
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