We could probably spend years talking about the next behavior Mrs Meyer points us toward. She calls it the Emotional Habit. This can encompass everything from depression and anxiety to reasoning and anger. Yet the one emotion many of us can experience, without even realizing it is based on Pride, is called self-pity. You see, this mentality is all about MMI! “Poor me, I just can’t catch a break. No one cares about my situation. I have to take care of everything all by myself…” and so on it goes. Never do we think about how much God loves us. How much He has, and continues, to do for us. How many people He has surrounded us with, etc, etc. Instead we get centered on the negative and what we do not have. We spend all our time focused on what might be broken, instead of praising God for what He has already mended. It is called a pity party, but the only one having a party is our enemy. Once again, this is a pitiful witness to the Abundant Life Jesus died to give His children…and the enemy cheers us on!
Mrs Meyer calls self-pity an ugly habit, and rightly says, nothing is more unattractive or unpleasant to be around. It drains life from everyone, not only the person having the pity party. No one wins when we become consumed with Self. Praise God the truth is, once we become born again, we have the power in the Holy Spirit to control our emotions instead of allowing them to control us. The key is to formulate good habits that will cause us to rise up and get out of the MMI mindset. She suggests going outside and enjoying nature. Or how about helping someone who is worse off than you are. Whatever will work for you, just do something so you can leave that awful, pitiful party behind. She quotes Elizabeth Elliot with this eye opening statement: “Self-pity is a death and has no resurrection, a sinkhole from which no rescuing hand can drag you because you have chosen to sink.” Did we get that? We cannot be rescued because we are the ones choosing to go down that pitiful road! Yikes!
Mrs Meyer says, no habit can be broken until you refuse to allow it to control you. In Christ, we have a choice. We do not have to allow the difficulties of life bring us down. In Christ, we can choose to trust Him with every challenge. In Christ, we can become powerful, not stay pitiful…but it’s our choice.
14 Good Habits
Behavior 1: The God Habit
Behavior 2: Thoughts, Words and Habits
Behavior 3: The Habit of Being Decisive
Behavior 4: Healthy Habits
Behavior 5: The Happy Habit
Behavior 6: The Faith Habit
Behavior 7: The Habit of Excellence
Behavior 8: The Habit of Being Responsible
Behavior 9: The Habit of Generosity
Behavior 10: The Hurry Habit
Behavior 11: Emotional Habits
2023’s Got A Minute? Book Club
January: The First & Best Book Ever: The Bible
February: Love Is In the Air: “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman
March: Spring Growth: “Secrets of the Vine” by Bruce Wilkinson
April: Living the Resurrected Life: “The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life” by Dr Charles Stanley
May: My Spiritual Mom: “Making Good Habits Breaking Bad Habits” by Joyce Meyer
<>< Peace, Diane
