Atomic Habits, Luke 13:18-21, and a Car Wreck

How you treat the little things determines who you are.

Intro

The little things are what define you whether you notice it or not.

In this newsletter I will go through a few things that have been brought to my attention recently about the little things. We will break down my experience reading Atomic Habits, a sermon on the little things, and my resolution to focus on the little things after a car wreck.

Atomic Habits

The basis of the book Atomic Habits by James Clear is that the little things add up. The point of atomic habits are that they are tiny changes, that, given time, yield remarkable results.

Clear encourages each one of us to get 1% better each day. Often people focus on big exciting changes, while ignoring the small ones. It can be hard to stick with tiny, seemingly meaningless changes, but they ultimately have the power to change your life. You have to, “Fall in love with boredom.” By boredom, Clear means the small choices that seem to make no difference.

It is easy to let the little things slide and to think “Oh well, it does not really matter,” “Just this one time,” or “What can it hurt?” But…

If you continue to become 1% better every day for a year, then you will not become 365% better, but 37 times better! Don’t you love compounding? These tiny changes and choices matter more than we realize.

“Tiny changes, remarkable results.” - Atomic Habits

Luke 13:18-21

This week (to my shame) I was not listening closely in mass, but when the priest said “This reading is really about how the little things we do for the kingdom of God multiply and grow into something bigger.” I sat on the edge of my seat thinking, “No way. I have been thinking about this all week! This is insane!” The Bible passage that he was talking about was Luke 13:18-31.

Then Jesus said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nests in its branches.” Jesus said again, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened.”

Luke 13:18-21

I realized that what I had been learning in Atomic Habits was completely applicable to my spiritual life. When reading Atomic Habits, I had implemented new habits and creating a habit tracker, but I had not applied it spiritually.

God is the God of humans, so e knows how habits work. He made the laws of nature. He gives us resources, like books, so that we can learn to better manage our habits, but we are not supposed to stop there. We should do more than implement habits for our professional advancement. We should also implement habits that further the kingdom of God.

Car Accident

When I was sixteen, I was driving home from work, and the roads were wet. I had my dog riding along with me. I took a curve too fast and suddenly was hydroplaning. In that moment the only thing that I could think to do was hit the brakes. So I did.

I ended up spinning on the road and hitting the ditch on the other side with my car facing the opposite direction. When I hit the ditch, my car caught air. In that moment, time felt like it slowed to a halt. My dog went flying. I thought “Oh God, please do not let me flip.” Thankfully, I did not flip and neither I nor my dog was hurt, but it was a scary experience and came completely out of the blue.

Later that day, I reflected on the value of life and how I should not take it for granted. Then I thought to myself, “If I had died today, what is one thing I would have changed about my life?” Immediately I thought, “The little things. I would have done the little things better.”

I realized that I did not have any huge one-time regrets in life, but I regretted not appreciating the little things. All of the little things together added up to a big regret.

That night I wrote on a sticky note “Do little things well” and taped it above my bed so that I would see it every morning and night.

I have not followed my advice perfectly, but I hope to get a little better each day. At least 1%.