The Tree of Bad and Good Habit

An old teacher was once taking a walk through a forest with a pupil by his side. The old man suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants close at hand. 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.

“And now the third.” The boy had to put forth all his strength and was obligated to use both arms to uproot it.

Its hard la bro..

“And now,” said the master, “try your hand on the fourth.” But 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.”

What a lesson about habit! Bad habits destroy our relationship with other and God and in the long-term will destroy ourselves. Long-stubborn-habits must be overcome by remove it or change it and then replace it with good habits. This is the most difficult process, but not impossible. It requires strong determination and God’s divine help.

As for the earliest stage of bad habits, we must overcome it from the start. St. Augustine writes, “Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity.” And as Watson C. Black observed: “Bad habits are like comfortable beds – easy to get into but hard to get out of.” We must pull the first plant of bad habits before it become large uprooted trees of sinful and devilish habits. (P.s: Vise versa. Good habits must begin small. Then if we nurture and water it every day consistently, it will become an uprooted tree of good and God-glorifying habits). Ask God to recognize your small plant of bad habits through the power of prayer and the divine help of His Spirit. God helps us! Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.