Photo by Kevin Niu on Unsplash

“In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,  Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.” - Titus 2:7-8

We have a pattern problem.We have developed behaviors that we practice consistently, habitually, and without much thought.

We start practicing these behaviors before we crawl out of bed in the morning and condition ourselves to practice them before we lay our heads on our pillows at night. When we realize that some of these behaviors are negative or destructive, we have a battle on our hands removing them.

When we determine to introduce positive practices to the mix, we find that there is no room for the old is crowding out the new.

The basic and primary change is in our attitudes. Then we can address behaviors. We need new patterns. We need to replace old, worn-out, useless and even harmful behaviors with newer, more nurturing and positive actions. What are the steps?

1. First, we must make the determination that we are going to introduce change into our lives. This comes out of careful evaluation and resolve.
2. We must pray for guidance and strength. Our creative God will work with our creative minds to create a new scenario and unveil options we have never considered.
3.  Then, we must do the hard work of being intentional and aware. We must accept that change is awkward and new behaviors may be “forced,” contrived, manipulative, or uncomfortable. We must practice them anyway.
4.  We must repeat the new behavior (which includes avoidance of the old) day after day, keeping some sort of record of our progress.
5.  We must allow grace for the failures and celebrate the victories and patterns begin to change in our lives.

 Change is not easy, but it is possible!