There is nothing like driving a car where you must hold your head just right,  tap on the door twice and kick the tire once to be sure the door will open.    That’s what I felt like I went through recently.  Recently another driver hit my vehicle making my car undriveable.  The door was wrecked leaving a gap where rain and other things could enter.  I had to drive Gaylon’s car to North Carolina and then two more weeks until my car was fixed.

Gaylon has an older Lexus but it drives great. The door lock system is enough to make a woman speak in tongues of which the Spirit is not in control!  The remote won’t open all doors.  The key will not open all doors.  The back passenger side must be manually done.   Gaylon even told me if I ran into a problem to manually unlock the passenger’s side and climb over to the driver’s side.    It’s just all messed up.  I was afraid  to drive Tucker anywhere for fear I couldn’t get him in or out of the car.    Finally, I just did everything manually so I wouldn’t have to remember when to kick what!

I was so glad to get my car back, but I ended up laughing at myself.  In three weeks I had developed a habit of doing things manually and for a few days, I found myself doing that with my car.  I had a perfectly good remote and lock system, but what I practiced for three weeks became a habit in my life.

I listen to people who seem to never grow spiritually.  They remain angry, unfulfilled, lukewarm and a host of other things.  All too often I have found that they have quit spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible reading,  worship attendance, praise and just being faithful to practice what the Word teaches.

I am beyond convinced that the lack in one’s spiritual life is frequently due to letting habits of the faith go by the wayside.   I am now using my remote again because I retrained myself to do it, and I am much happier with my driving experience.    In your spiritual journey, if you are slapping the door, kicking the tire and just plain frustrated, maybe it’s time to develop some healthy spiritual habits. You might be surprised how quickly they become ingrained in your life.

“So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.”  I Peter 1:5-9 (MSG)