Small Changes in Habits

I’ve made two small changes this year. Not New Year’s resolutions per se, just attempts to let Christ permeate my daily life, and I’d like to share them with the two or three people who read this blog.

My freshman year of college I was adopted by my Christian family. This is no slam against my Dad (Hi, Dad. Love you!), or any of my biological family, really. This was G-d’s abundant provision of a spiritual family. The Decker’s are the exact opposite of my immediate family. They are numerous, noisy, and Christ-centered, all in positive ways. When I lived with them, I brought the kid-count to seven, never mind the farm of pets scattered about the house. (Although, I guess I was over eighteen…)

In all the hustle and bustle that kids bring, I was always impressed with Decker family dinners; together, at a real dinning table, complete with grace and attempts at organized passing of dishes. This was a stark contrast to family dinners at my house, on the couch watching Bulls games or ER. Decker dinners were intentionally interactive. No TV blaring in the background. And no answered phone calls, unless it was to say, “We’re eating dinner; I’ll call you back later.” I hope I do not paint too rosy a picture; this activity was certainly forced on one or more of the kids at one time or another. But, on the whole, this was communal.

Nowadays, I likely than not eat alone. I’m rushed, shoving food down while I walk to work, or in the car on my way from here to there. I try to cook more, making meals I can take to the office for lunch. I love hosting and having friends over for dinner, but everyone has chaotic schedules and this works out less than it aught. And though I’ve improved the quality of the meal I eat at dinner, I usually eat it in front of my computer, typing emails, reading blogs, etc. I do not rest while I eat. This, my friends, is not natural.

So I’ve stopped. I’m sitting at the dinning table now to eat my oatmeal in the mornings. I still find myself rushing to finish dinner so I can check my email for the 80th time today, but I sit. I sit and be still, even if it’s just 10 minutes. Now, the real test will be to see if I can actually take a lunch break at work and not eat at my desk. Is it communal? Not as much as I’d like it to be. But it is being conscious of how I inhabit my time.

Second, I’ve started to handle my finances on Sunday mornings. This may sound odd; let me explain. For those of you who know me in real life, you know I’m an organizational freak. It may shock you to know that I am terrible at paying my bills on time. Do I know they are due? Maybe. Do I know how much money I have in my checking account right now? I have a rough estimate. I’m embarrassed to admit, I’m also conveniently forgetful about tithing.

To really be obedient to G-d with my, er His, money, I had to make a change in when I was paying my bills. And what better way to beat it into my head that G-d should be the spender of my checking account than to force myself to sit every Sunday morning before church and write out checks (or pay online). I’ve been doing this for about two months now and I’ve noticed three changes. One, I now pay my bills on time. That doesn’t mean I pay them the week I get them; I still space them out based on when I get paid and when they are due. Two, I tithe every week rather than once a month. This forces me to budget better overall, and although I don’t tithe every week specifically to my church, doing it on Sunday morning reminds me to do it. Third, watching where the money goes every week, as opposed to rarely analyzing spending habits, has helped me save a nice chunk of change in two months time, and I’ve significantly decreased my debt, too.

I don’t know if that will be helpful for anyone else. I just wanted to share. And invite you all to dinner. :)