When I began reading the following illustration,
I thought it was going to be a science lesson on plants. One of my favorite
classes in college was biology,
specifically Plant Biology. A plant’s unique design is fascinating and it
gives us a glimpse of God's marvelous creation.
Organization/business trainers often use plants
as a metaphor for the need to nurture and care of an organization. So I was not disappointed in the story when
it shifted from plants to human behavior.
It is an old story that represents the inimitable
influence a teacher has over a student. When we are young we are like sponges
absorbing everything; and what we say as teachers, parents, grandparents affects
not just the future of those we teach and mentor but the generations that
follow, our children's children as
the cliché goes.
"The story is about an old teacher who was
walking through a forest with a pupil by his side. The old man suddenly stopped
and pointed to four plants close by his side. The first was just beginning to
peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself pretty well into the earth,
and the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree.
The tutor said to his young companion: Pull up
the first. The boy easily pulled it up with his fingers. Now pull up the
second. The youth obeyed, but found the task not so easy. Now the third! The
boy had to put forth all his strength and was obliged to use both arms to
uproot it. And now, said the master, try your hand at the fourth. But, lo, the
trunk of the tall tree, grasped in the arms of the youth, hardly shook its
leaves.
This, my son, is just what happens with our bad
habits. When they are young, we can cast them out more readily with the help of
God; but when they are old, it is hard to uproot them, though we pray and
struggle ever so sincerely." [Paul J. Wharton, Stories and
Parables for Preachers and Teachers (Mahwah, N.J.: Paulis Press, 1986), 43].
Habits
are not all bad; some habits are good for us. Dr. Susan Jaffee, a psychiatrist and author believes once we realize we have a bad habit we need to
find a not-quite-as-annoying temporary or permanent replacement for it. Failure to replace the bad habit with a good
habit reduces the probability of successfully overcoming the bad habit because
there is a void that needs to be filled. (Denise Mann, WebMD)
I
wonder if the same is true when we stop practicing a good habit, does it create
a void that gets consumed by another good or bad habit? More and more people
today have stopped attending worship. The weekly 'habit' has been replaced by
other activities and it is not that these other activities are necessarily bad
because they are not. The question is not about the replacement habits, but
rather 'what is the purpose or value of worship?' Christians tend to agree that
worship is not about being entertained, but I am not so sure Christians can
agree on the purpose of worship. Personally, I believe worship is a 'means of
grace', a gift from God to help Christians grow in relationship with God and
with other Christians. Worship is first about God and second about our
neighbors. Jesus said, love God and love
your neighbor!
Although, I do
not like referring to worship as a habit, it is culturally accurate. So when worship
ceases to be important, what are our neighbors (or we) doing to fill this void and how
is this new habit affecting their (our) relationships with God and neighbor? Words to
Ponder...
© Edward E. Judy, Original
publication The Morrow Mirror, Morrow First United Methodist Church March 30
2014
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