What then has become of that sense of blessing and the joy that you once had [from your salvation and your relationship with Christ]? For I testify of you that, if possible, you would have torn out your own eyes and given them to me [to replace mine].

Galatians 4:15 AMP

We are already almost one month into the new year, past the 21-day mark, and getting close to the 30-day mark. I mention the number of days because those are the number of days it takes to build a habit. So I’ve read or heard. I can’t state if that is true, but I can state what I have learned.

Habits are not consistent and consistency is not built upon habits.

How did I learn this? Great question! During my archery time, I asked God to help me get better habits to make my shots more consistent. Then God told me the statement I shared with you. Habits are not consistent and consistency is not built upon habits. It seemed odd to me. Aren’t habits something we do every day, CONSISTENTLY? 

God simply asked back: “Well, do you mindlessly shoot or intentionally shoot?”

The first rule with any weapon, even a staff, is that the wielder must deal with the weapon with full intention. One mindless action with a weapon can lead to great pain. So of course I said no and God left it at that, knowing that I was now curious enough to want to study the difference between habit and consistency.

And boy, are there some differences.

The main difference I noted is the word quality. Consistency requires steadfast attention so that the quality of the repeated action is not lost. Whereas a habit does not mention the state or quality of the action, just that it is practiced until done almost involuntarily. 

With habits, we’re conditioned like Pavola’s dog. The experiment never states the amount of food he gave the dog, how the dog ate, or how the dog came to him. It just states that the dog received food at the sound of the bell to incentivize the dog to come at the sound of the bell. Whereas consistency would focus on the way the dog came each time the bell rang. Consistency would factor in the need to have an incentive if it affects the speed of the dog. Consistency wants to measure the quality of the dog’s efforts while habits is just a fancy way of saying conditioning to the sound of the bell.

A more personal example I recently struggled with in quality of consistency versus quantity of habit, is sleeping. Our pastor put us on a self-care fast to get rest because God gives rest to His beloved (Hebrews 4:1). So for the first couple of nights, I would be right in bed, lights off, phone down, five minutes before the required bedtime. I made sure to grumble and complain about it to my family too.

Then one night God told me, “It seems like you’re going about this like you’re trying to hit a deadline, like it’s work. Quality rest doesn’t come from quality work, it comes from actually resting. So is your intention to meet the goal or to rest? Are you finishing something for yourself to say you did it or are you actually caring for something?”

Mind-blown! I had taken the self-care fast and took out the care. It was more about accomplishing something to say I did it rather than actually caring for myself or others. Caring has to be intentional. There is a quality in care that comes from choosing to care. 

How horrible do we feel if it seems like someone is caring for us out of obligation? I know for me, it sucks. The times I feel cared for are when people choose to do something for me because they want to. There’s a blessing and joyousness when care is a choice. That’s what Paul says in Galatians. I’m also pretty sure people don’t involuntarily choose or practice to give their eyes to someone else (we only have two). Care cannot be something practiced until done involuntarily. Care is about choice. Love is about choice.

So just as I learned with archery, sleeping, and caring, if I want to build consistency, I have to remain intentional with every choice. Being present and noticing my own actions so that I can ensure the quality of my choice builds consistency. Each decision, no matter how small or big, must be focused on the target, the action, and/or the person I need to focus on. I cannot be conditioned in my decisions. Conditions don’t bring quality. 

Most importantly, God didn’t create us to be conditioned dogs. God created us and granted us the gift of free will. We get to choose. And in God, we get to choose to put quality love and care into our life. 

So with the first month of the year coming to an end, and all of us pushing to continue those New Year resolutions, are you building habits or consistency?