A Habit Formed in God’s Unfailing Love
Written by Ernie Perry
It is said that time heals. That the pain of past hurts and painful memories are somehow healed as we move through our lives and into old age. But I have seen that this is not the case, listened to stories shared by those who have lived a long life, of painful memories and their lasting effect. At best, difficult memories dull, and the pain becomes a familiar presence. The sting fades, but the wound remains. And all through our lives those memories will play their part, affect our outward behaviour, limiting our ability to give ourselves to the needs of another. For thirty years, through childhood, adolescence and as a young man, the wounds of life were dominant in me, inhibiting relationships and my ability to give.
And then one day, one great and glorious day, God entered my life. And from that moment on, God became a conscious influence, and the great physician began His healing work; at times obvious, but much of the time hidden. And in the life of a developing faith, love would take hold, gently bringing light into the darkness. And now in this work of care, God reveals the fruits of His work. As we become embedded in the lives of those we care for, God reveals to us in little moments the progress of His redeeming presence — the fruits of His Spirit.
On one occasion, I was taken aback by such a moment. Caring for the husband of a lady I continue to visit today, while tending to his needs, my mind was elsewhere. Hungry and tired, my thoughts were of food and rest, and certainly not on the task at hand. And yet, to my complete surprise, I heard the words of his wife say; "I am so grateful you are caring for "P". You’re so sweet with him". Her words shook me out of my distraction. Suddenly my mind was back in the room and in the moment. I realised for the first time that God had done something miraculous in me, something that time alone could not. God had healed me such that a new habit had been formed — a new way of being. That even in my distractions and hunger, my body was in His service, sharing His love and compassion; that same love that He had made known and poured into me.
I would reflect afterwards for some time on this moment of how our habits can be so formed as to be automatic, acting unconsciously. Of course, this can be as much for ill as it is for good like negative responses to situations that spill out without any awareness in the moment. But God's love creates in us new habits and new automatic responses, such is its power to create change in us. The regeneration of the mind is a real phenomenon. The Holy Spirit is a living reality, at work in us, seeping ever deeper into the core of our being, into our soul, shaping us, transforming us from within. In God's unfailing love we are transformed, moment by moment, day by day. In the difficult activities of life, God is at work in us.
In his beautiful little book 'The Greatest Thing in the World', a reflection on that famous love passage in 1 Corinthians 13, the 19th century Scottish evangelical Henry Drummond writes:
"What was Christ doing in the carpenter's shop? Practicing. Though perfect, we read that He learned obedience and grew in wisdom and in favour with God. Do not quarrel, therefore, with your lot in life. Do not complain of its never-ceasing cares, its petty environment, the vexations you have to stand, the small and sordid souls you have to live and work with. Above all, do not resent temptation; do not be perplexed because it seems to thicken round you more and more, and ceases neither for effort nor for agony nor prayer. That is your practice. That is the practice which God appoints you; and it is having its work in making you patient, and humble, and generous, and unselfish, and kind, and courteous. Do not grudge the hand that is moulding the still too shapeless image within you. It is growing more beautiful, though you see it not; and every touch of temptation may add to its perfection. Therefore, keep in the midst of life. Do not isolate yourself. Be among men and among things, and among troubles, and difficulties, and obstacles. You remember Goethe's words: "Talent develops itself in solitude; character in the stream of life." Talent develops itself in solitude the talent of prayer, of faith, of meditation, of seeing the unseen; character grows in the stream of the world's life. That chiefly is where men are to learn love".
Friends, may we never cease in our learning, in our prayer, and in our encouraging one another in this most precious work of God. God bless you.