Old Habits Die Hard

Old habits die hard. But that’s not always a bad thing.

When I hear the phrase, “old habits die hard,” I immediately think of bad habits. These could be habits ranging from biting your nails or chewing with your mouth open (apparently I was a loud eater when I was younger) to sinful patterns like struggling with alcoholism or pornography.

And it’s true. These habits do die hard.

But what if the reverse is also true? What if good habits die hard? And what if we are formed just as much, if not more, by these as we are our bad habits?

A couple weeks ago I was teaching some of the young adults in our church how to develop a rule of life. One way to think of a rule of life, although it isn’t the full picture, is developing healthy habits, or rhythms, to become more like Jesus. An example we talked through from Scripture was Daniel. Daniel most often gets attention for his sleepover with lions, but I think there is something else he needs to be known for.

One of my favorite verses in all of Scripture is the final few words of Daniel 6:10.

The NIV says it this way, “just as he had done before.”

The ESV says, “as he had done previously.”

I wonder if we should all write, “old habits die hard,” in the margins next to this verse.

Most scholars agree that Daniel was at least in his mid-70’s, but even as old as his mid-80’s when he spent the night with these lions. However, if you open the book of Daniel to the very first chapter, you’ll read about Daniel the teenager being taken into captivity. That is a lot of years in only a few pages.

When I read my bible, and several years pass by as I turn only a couple pages, it is so easy for me to forget that almost a whole lifetime for this individual has passed. It doesn’t make it easier when so many children’s stories are out there showing Daniel with the lions and he is like eight years old.

But here he is. Eighty years old. Getting on his knees. Three times a day. To pray.

Old habits die hard.

From a young age, Daniel had made a decision to follow God no matter what it cost. We see a young, bold Daniel choosing to say no to the delicacies of the king’s food. Not long after, we see Daniel choosing faith over fear when him and the other wise men of Babylon were set to be killed. We see Daniel being called on and speaking boldly to the king when a hand appears out of nowhere in a banquet hall and begins writing words on a wall that nobody can understand. It’s a pretty crazy story. Go read Daniel 5 if you are interested. I imagine there are more stories about Daniel we are not told.

Yet, as much as I’d love to hear more stories, there is really only one thing we need to know about Daniel. When things were going well in his life, he did things “just as he had done before.” When life was rough, he did things “just as he had done before.” And when his life was on the line, he didn’t change his ways to try and save his life. He simply did things “just as he had done before.”

Look, I’m all for change. I’ve lived in 22 homes across three states and two countries. I’ve changed my hairstyle about four times in the last six years (and considering it again!). I’m always going back and forth between short beard and long beard. Some change is good. I’m all for changing our habits based on the season we find ourself in. The way in which we do things might change, but our commitment to follow Jesus should never change.

Eugene Peterson, author of The Message translation of the Bible, also wrote a book called A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. You should check it out. I think this also hits on the very thing Daniel showed us is possible. Daniel modeled a long obedience in the same direction quite well.

What habits do you have? I won’t ask if they are good or bad. I’ll ask, in which way are they forming you?

If there are some habits in your life that are forming you to become like Jesus and live like Him, then I just want to encourage you, keep at it! Maybe someday, people will make what for some is a boring observation. You might be known as someone who did things just as you did before.

Old habits really do die hard. And that is a good thing.