I used to bite my fingernails right down to the quick. I'd rip off those babies just as soon as the first signs of new growth would appear. For well over twenty years I carried around ten ugly stumps which resulted in two miserable experiences:
Personal embarrassment. I was always afraid of such things as "clean hands inspection" at school and summer camps. And doctor's exams where the man would look down and groan at my mitts.
Physical limitations. If I ever dropped a dime —forget it! The same for trying to pick up a tooth-pick, pluck out splinters, or put in tiny screws. My mom tried all sorts of gimmicks to make me stop: money bribes, red-hot-burn-your-mouth-stuff painted on my nails, wearing gloves day and night, public embarrassment and private reminders. But nothing worked, and I mean nothing. I'd go right on and bite them off until they'd bleed. I remember having dates and keeping my hands in my pockets the whole time so the girl wouldn't notice. I avoided card games, skipped piano lessons, refused to try on rings and stayed away from handcraft projects. How I hated that habit! I wanted so badly to stop I would stay awake at night thinking about it. But the simple fact was I couldn't. In spite of the pain and the pressure, that habit, like all habits, had me in its grip.
As the American educator, Horace Mann, once described the predicament:
Habit is a cable: we weave a thread of it every day, and at last we cannot break it.
But God began to convict me about my nail-nibbling ways. It took Him nearly a decade to bring about a final and complete victory, ashamed as I am to admit it. During the process He gently, yet pointedly, caused me to see that this was an area of my life much deeper than eight fingers and a couple of thumbs. I was being enslaved — mastered and manipulated by the beast of habit. I was a living contradiction to the liberating truth of 1 Corinthians 6:12:
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
You can't believe the fire of conviction this verse once set ablaze within me. The Greek word translated "mastered" means "to be held under the authority of something." A close look reveals that this isn't a verse talking about something lawless or wicked, but something that is actually lawful . . . but not profitable. My first encounter with the verse was not my final encounter with this painful habit. But it was certainly a turning point toward change, thank God.
The backwash of this nail-biting testimony has far-reaching effects. Not a person who reads this book is completely free from bad habits, whether lawless or lawful. That's the price we pay for being human. Some are wrestling with a habit as accepted and common as overeating or exaggerating or cheating or procrastinating. Others, by habit, are negative and suspicious, resulting in habitually closed minded responses. While some are ungrateful and demanding, others are continually extravagant and undiscerning.
Some of you feel trapped by overt dependence on alcohol consumption, addition to drugs, cravings for nicotine and caffeine, the lure of sensual lust, or a pill for every ill. Habits like gossip, worry, irritability and profanity are often practiced without guilt, justified through cleverly devised mental schemes.
The list is endless, for habits are as numerous as every detail of life. Rather than enlarging the list, let's focus on five suggestions that will help us blend 1 Corinthians 6:12 into our lives.
Stop rationalizing. Refuse to make comments like: "Oh, that's just me. I'm just like that — always have been, always will be. After all, nobody's perfect." Such excuses take the edge off disobedience and encourage you to diminish or completely ignore the Spirit's work of conviction.
Apply strategy. Approach your target with a rifle, not a shotgun. Take on each habit one at a time, not all at once.
Be realistic. It won't happen fast. It won't be easy. Nor will your resolve be permanent overnight. Periodic failures, however, are still better than habitual slavery.
Be encouraged. Realize you're on the road to ultimate triumph . . . for the first time in years! Enthusiasm strengthens self-discipline and prompts an attitude of stick-to-itiveness.
Start today. This is the very best moment thus far in your life. To put it off is an admission of defeat and will only intensify and prolong the self-confidence battle.
Extracting the hurtful thorns of habit enables the pilgrim to focus less attention on himself and more attention on the One who is worthy. And the most exciting thought of all is that He will be right there in the morning ready to help you through the day with all the power you will need, one moment at a time.
Need proof? How about ten fingernails and an emery board?
Deepening Your Roots
Matthew 6:24; 1 Corinthians 6; Hebrews 10:19 - 25
Branching Out
1. Name three habits you'd like to get rid of:
- Ungodly Use of Social Networking, such as Facebook
- ________________
- ________________
Choose one and start applying the five steps mentioned in today's article.
2. Make yourself accountable to someone and tell him the habit you want to leave behind you. Ask that person to call you daily to see how you're doing and to encourage you.
3. Write down ten reasons why you should stop your habit, and ten benefits if you do stop. Post these reasons and benefits in a conspicuous place to encourage you throughout the week.
Growing Strong
I know, you're probably feeling I've come down hard on you! I understand. But why not start the new year off by wrestling with some tough topics or habits? And speaking of habits . . . what are you working on to overcome? Making headway? I knew you could do it!
Source: "Going Strong in the Seasons of Life" by Charles Swindoll, pp. 63-65