Men do not decide their future. They decide their habits and their habits decide their future.

Anonymous

Whoever said this - we know what they mean.

Think about Sport - you don't just decide you want to be the best at something and then it happens.  You decide what habits you will form.  When everyone else is in bed you are out training.  When everyone else is on the sofa, you are out on wet wintry nights training.  You don't decide your future but you can decide your habits.

Think about Marriage - Just wanting to have a meaningful marriage 20 years from now doesn't make it happen.  Habits shape our marriages.  All married people have conflicts and how we deal with those conflicts becomes a behavioural habit.  We either deal with the underlying problems, or we sweep them under the carpet where they grow into beasts that eventually destroy the relationship.  Our habits in marriage NOW shape what our marriage will be like THEN.

Think about Business - If you want your business to grow and be innovative, you've got to review things.  What works, what doesn't.  What needs to change, what doesn't.  But we get into habits when we review.  If there are people in Leadership that cannot be held accountable, if there are traditions that are untouchable then we get into a habit of doing reviews that are pretty worthless.  If we remove the 'sacred cows' and make it a habit of having open honest reviews, we are shaping our company for future success.

Think about Church - At Carrick Baptist we have been looking at John 13:34-35 and asking, as we grow how can we be a church that is a genuine community, that shows genuine love for each other, that cares for each other through the ups and downs of life.

  We don't want church to be "a meeting to attend", but "a family to belong to". 

As we grow, we cannot decide to do that over night.  But we can decide what habits we form NOW to keep that happening THEN.