The Habit of His Presence

Google defines a habit as "an established custom." The psychological definition is "an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition."

My cats have some habits.

In the morning, if I move significantly, "speak" to Arno, or just open my eyes all while still lying in bed, their habit it to CRY MEOW repeatedly.

Patches' favorite room is our bedroom, but if I leave and go to another room, during the day, for a significant amount of time, she usually follows.




Morris LOVES to go outside, but if I keep the main door closed, not just the screen door, he will usually lie contentedly for quite some time, but if it is open, he goes in and out, and in and out, and in and out REPEATEDLY!!!

{Okay....lest you think this post is ALL about my cats......IT'S NOT!!

Just go with me for a minute....}

You see their habits are really connected to ours -- when they eat, when they sleep, when they are happy or sad, when they get touched & loved, when they can go out and play, etc. I have had Morris for 11 years and Patches for 8 years, and they really know MY habits. Their feline lives have become BETTER due to my attention and time and love that I have poured upon them.

This made me think about my habits in connection to my relationship to God. The more I know Him, the more my habits should revolve around WHO HE IS. And yet, because I am a human being with free will, I often choose habits that keep me from having that true revelation of His grace and mercy. However, my life COULD be BETTER due to time spent receiving His love, His time, His attention.

Joseph Prince said recently in a podcast that the more he exposes his soul & spirit to the revelation of grace in the Word, the more grace and kindness become who he is, but when he is away from these revelations, the ugly side comes out.

I get that. I really do.

I want to walk, to live, to breathe His grace, not only in how I view MY OWN relationship with the Father, but also in how I connect to others and in turn how I connect others to the Father.

I want to be aware of HIS PRESENCE the same way my Patches is aware of mine.

Funny what you can learn from a cat, right?