The Habit Poem 
I am your constant companion.I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.I am completely at your command.Half the things you do, you might just as well turn over to me,and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great men.And, alas, of all failures as well.Those who are great, I have made great.Those who are failures, I have made failures.I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine.Plus, the intelligence of a man.You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin; it makes no difference to me.Take me, train me, be firm with me and I will put the world at your feet.Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
I am a HABIT!
(Author unknown)
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My son has a very fast brain and also has central processing disorder and ADHD in that he has a hard time following through. My wife and I have been working on giving him tools, by which he can survive later in life, to help him through daily routines. My wife sent this to me last night via Facebook and we both had to sadly laugh as our son has all 9 (as even some of these things apply to us): DSM-IV-TR Criteria for ADHD, Inattentive Type A child must display six of nine of the behaviors listed below: 1.often fails to give close attention to details, or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities; 2.often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities; 3.often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly; 4.often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand instructions); 5.often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities; 6.often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort (such as schoolwork or homework); 7.often loses things necessary for tasks or activities (toys, school assignments, pencils, books, or tools); 8.is often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli; and, 9.is often forgetful in daily activities. - our son has all 9 of these by the way.
Even with some of his disorders he is a straight A student. The problem, though, is that he can become disheartened or frustrated in his daily jaunts because he lacks the central ability to process. His brain is amazing. His memory is photographic. His heart and compassion and understanding of God's scripture blows me away.
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This got me thinking on our daily walks. Without a healthy habit, without a good routine, how can we, as Legacy Dads, succeed in our mission - we simply cannot.
Some good habits that we can learn from Jesus:
- Put good habits to practice in your daily life (get into the word, pray, walk with other brothers and be honest and accountable - Galatians 6:7-10 and James 1:22-25)
- As disciples of Christ, we simply cannot lack discipline (1 Timothy 4:7)
- Avoid these 3 things (don't let them influence your daily healthy habits: 1) The World 2) The flesh and 3) The Devil)
- Do not grieve the Holy Spirit - repent, confess, pray and listen
- Worship and Quiet time need to be healthy habits in your life
- Start fasting - it does the body good
- Serve others and use the gifts to glorify God
- Fellowship with other brothers
- Give
- Share the Gospel
Blessings,
Dante