I love a good habit and routine…so much so, that I create tools to help women create better ones.

But as much as I love them, I have to be vigilant. I don’t want to depend on my routines too much.

Wonder why?

Because sometimes, we unconsciously expect our routines to do what only God can do.

 Let me explain.

When we find an area of life that’s hard to manage, developing a routine is a great way to tackle the problem. For example:

• If you always feel rushed in the morning, a routine can streamline your process for getting out the door.
• If you’re having trouble managing all the papers coming into your home, a routine can make it easier to keep what matters and get rid of what doesn’t.

Yes, routines solve some problems. But routines are not God.

They can simplify tasks, clarify goals, and reduce hassles.

They cannot transform hearts, give meaningful identities, heal brokenness, or bring lasting joy and peace.

At this point you may be thinking, wait a minute. I don’t expect routines to do that.

And maybe you don’t. But before you toss what I’m saying aside, consider these scenarios.

Have you ever thought:

• If I could stick with a workout routine, I would look better and feel better about myself.
• If my kids would just clean up, I wouldn’t yell so much.
• If I could find the right system, I would stay motivated and could get more done.

These seem like innocent thoughts. But this unstated, false assumption is at the core of each one:

If I could find and follow the right routine, I could create a reality that fixes my hurts and character struggles.

Sweet sisters…I don’t write this in judgement. I write it because it’s a sermon I need preached to me regularly.

God alone heals, transforms, and brings hope. I’m confident that you know this…but we’re still left with a major question. How do we look to God?

Well, here’s the fun part, and it brings this entire post full-circle.

We need spiritual habits to put God first. Spiritual habits are things we do regularly to connect with God. They include prayer, silence, fasting, and Bible study.

Technically, spiritual habits are routines. But they aren’t the main thing. Spiritual habits are tools. These tools become spiritual routines.

 Spiritual routines give God space to bring us the healing, transformation,
and joy that only he can give.

The same is true for other habits and routines. They are tools.

So, go ahead and build routines to simplify, streamline, and automate your life. But be mindful not to trust them to do more than this.

Seek God to be your ultimate anchor.  Look to routines as a way to manage the troubles that Jesus told us we would experience in this world (John 16:33).

We want to help you root yourself more deeply into God. So we’ve created the Spiritual Habits Builder. It will walk you through steps to find, adopt, and maintain a new routine to connect with God.

If this post helped you see God and routines in a better way, would you please use the share buttons to help other women find this truth and encouragement?

We can manage our everyday troubles. The formula is God first, then routines.