Druthers

“Druther”: it’s a contraction of “I’d rather,” or as a noun means “personal choice.”  For example, if I had my “druthers” between eating liver and crunchy green bell peppers, I druther take the peppers any day. But sometimes those “druthers” belong to negative choices. Although posted in jest, this photo of our family cat (“Keep your paws off my remote”) suggests how entertainment can grip us like a cat’s claws. It’s not just about television (programming, videos/DVDs). So can the internet (browsing, games, social media), smart-phone play, music devices, and, on the darker side, pornography. Though technology has changed, the problem is old. Even back in the First century, Peter warned about the “druthers”: “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

J. Oswald Sanders, a great missionary leader and preacher in the last century, wrote in The Joy of Following Jesus (Moody, 1994, p. 80): “In one sense, life consists largely of making habits and breaking habits, for we are all creatures of habit.  We are unconsciously forming and fracturing habits all the time, and for that reason this area of life must be brought under Christ’s control.  It is an essential part of the soul’s education.”

Contrary to some popular thinking, God doesn’t treat us like marionettes or string puppets, twisting the guide strings this way and that to rid us of bad habits. They must be broken the way they were made: by our own choices. We’re not left alone in that task: “It is God who works in you to will and act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). Sanders added: “The aid of the Holy Spirit is always available in the forming of a new and good habit, but it is we who must do it.  God does not act instead of us: it is a partnership.”

When a negative habit lures, some have found it helpful to pray right then, either aloud or silently, “With God’s help, I choose not to do this.” Being accountable to a trusted friend or group may help. So may keeping a log of how much time this habit takes. Sometimes the wake-up call about a habit is a desperate circumstance, like a family crisis, arrest or intervention that leads to a rehab center. 

Not all habits are bad. Saunders points out this one: “In the culture of the soul, no habit is more crucial and formative than maintaining a consistent devotional life—a regular time reserved for fellowship and communion with God.  Not everyone finds that easy, but its importance and value cannot be exaggerated. Since that is the case, it is only reasonable to expect that the habit will be the focus of relentless attack from our adversary” (p. 81).

Talking about “druthers,” Satan would “druther” we neglect habitually drawing close to God. At such times, we need to dig in with spiritual claws and tell Satan to scoot!