"How" Hour

Well,  missed formation today. Close of Business was at 1200 instead of the usual 1400, and I neglected to check the time on the MOC website. Looks like I'll be "volunteering" for some extra duty. 

On the other hand, today presents a decent opportunity to get back into a few habits I've been skipping out on, notably How Hours. I've recently been on a pretty strong habit-forming campaign and have been making progress in reviewing and learning from my trades. Today I feel like focussing on something different: loving others. 

In bible study last night we reviewed John 13 where Christ gives a new commandment:

"A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Recently I also quoted 2 Peter 1:5-7 and the list of qualities Peter exhorts us to strive toward. The last (and most fundamental) is love. I think when things come down to it, you can ultimately see someone's character in how they treat others. To love someone, it takes faith, virtue, steadfastness, self-control, knowledge, brotherly affection. Without those things, love doesn't really have a chance. Seeking those qualities is awesome, but they are not an end, but the means to loving people more effectively, in a way that gives them more life. 

So, though I am seeking those qualities, I need to cultivate the mindset that the reason behind faith, virtue, knowledge, steadfastness, self-control, godliness, and brotherly affection is to love people better, to love them more, and to be Christ to them.

What does this mean, practically? I believe that my mindset is so entrenched in selfishness at this point that I don't really know how to change it effectively to be more loving. I guess considering each of those qualities listed is a good place to start:

• Faith: I need to believe Christ has given me eternal life, that he has saved me, and faith that anything I lose in this life, I will gain in eternity. I will be less hesitant to give up temporary, earthly things, which will trade for eternal rewards in myself and others. 


• Virtue: Treating people fairly, with justice, with respect for their rights, and granting them everything I would expect for myself. Seeking to use your time and resources most effectively is a virtuous cause, but requires you to know a few things, which leads to...


• Knowledge: Loving people effectively requires thought, and some knowledge about who they are, their situation, their needs. Also, you need to know what you're getting into, and know yourself--how much you're willing to commit and possibly lose. 


• Steadfastness: Not giving up once it's tough, inconvenient, or when unexpected obstacles come in the way. Making a decision to help someone, to be there for someone, to give up something for someone, should be a strong commitment. Just like in stock trading, consider how much you're willing to give up before making the decision to get into it. Only commit what you're willing to lose, but commit that bit whole-heartedly. 


• Self-control: This means doing what you've committed to do through steadfastness. It means keeping your mind on the goal, and constantly reviewing where the other parts of your being are trying to take you. Often times while attempting to develop a habit I find that my mind is on auto-pilot, and my flesh has slowly started to rebel. Without practicing self-control in increasing measure, all my greatest intentions will be lost. Peter also exhorts us to be watchful, and be alert. We cannot trust ourselves to do the right thing by default. It will always be a battle, and there is always someone seeking to steal, kill, and destroy. 


• Godliness: I think this equates to holiness, purity, and keeping an eternal perspective. Being able to tell people about the hope, peace, joy, and life that comes from a relationship with Christ.


• Brotherly Affection: I am often too reserved, too independent, and uninterested in other people. By seeking others, being friendly, allowing myself to be vulnerable, I open doors for friendship and transparency. Brotherly affection is something we definitely need more of, as seldom as I'll admit it. 

All these lead to love. What, ultimately is love? It's giving up what's important to you, for the good of someone else. The best picture of love is the cross: "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

OCF and Habit Review

Just had a great bible study at Mark Juntenen's house down south.

Those meetings always go over time, but i think that's just fine. Yesterday afternoon and into today turned out rocky on the habit-developing front:

• I didn't get a workout in today. 


• I also didn't take a walk or have a quiet time. 


• I stayed up late last night and ended up sleeping in this morning until about 10 am. 


• I didn't plan out today, last night. 


• I haven't been logging my net time. 


• I haven't planned out my meals yet. 


• Didn't have How Hour.

Success has been found in these areas:

• Less swearing, especially while driving. I'm much more serene on the road now.


• Haven't been drinking at all.


• Been taking notes out of Ron Paul book


• Haven't been smoking


• Have been practicing great hygiene.

What's the deal?

Something very important is getting a good diet. I've been on a pretty poor diet since getting back. I need to plan meals, even if it's for just the next one. I'm too lazy to cook chicken breast, and it's going to go bad soon.

Having a good walk and quiet time is linked to getting my workout in. Getting a workout in is linked to getting good sleep and not wasting too much time on the 'net (by logging it, or scheduling it). Staying focused on goals is done by planning the day. The trend here is linked habits, which strengthen one another and act to ensure one another. They are not designed so that if one fails, it leads to others failing--but that seems to be what is happening. 

Tonight I'm getting back to the bible reading and planning the next day (including meals). This is setting myself up for success for tomorrow to be a stellar, kick-ass day overall. I've been flaking out on good, solid How Hours and letting them slide since I've been doing well. I'm going to go back to starting them. A good 45 minutes of reflection is good whether you're setting goals, expressing frustration about life, or addressing one specific challenge.

How Hour

Faith, Virtue, Knowledge, Self-control, Steadfastness, Godliness, Brotherly Affection, Love

The list of qualities above comes from 2 Peter Chapter 1, and really sum up the qualities I want for myself.

After reading that, I recalled the peer-ranking system at the Naval Academy and how we secretly gave each person one word of feedback. Someone might be "Industrious" or "Arrogant". Sometimes I got "abrasive" or "confrontational". I can work on the above qualities and pray for them. Maybe in the future those will be the words that most describe me and my life. 

A review on the week and how things are going with my developing habits and goals:

• Listening to audiobooks or sermons in the car has definitely helped me calm down. Having a verse to look at reminding me to breathe and pray is helpful too. I've started to see a little bit of a change in my attitude and outlook while driving.


• Constant prayer has been improving, but isn't natural and isn't occurring all the time yet. But it is getting better. I am turning to Christ at points of anxiety, temptation, and gloominess.


• Leaving early on purpose has also changed my outlook and attitude while driving.


• Planning the next day: While I don't adhere to the schedule all the time, it helps to review what I have to do, when, and then to try to think up when I can fit other things around those mandatory items. I plan to work-out and have a quiet time, instead of just waking up and going through my day, hoping to find the perfect time to do a workout on a whim. It takes these things out of my head as obligations, and gets them into a schedule. This way I can also focus better on what I'm doing, assured my good habits will be fulfilled in their due time.


• Reading well : I've been enjoying going through "A Foreign Policy of Freedom" and reviewing my notes and the interesting passages therein. Going through key points a second time really helps to ingrain the information and concepts in my mind. This is going well, and I will keep doing it!


• Working out each day has been tough to start, but I'm always glad after it's done.


• I couldn't fall asleep last night! I ended up giving myself some extra sleep this morning (about an hour and a half). I'm not sure whether the cause was working out too late, drinking herbal tea too late, or just having too much on my mind. I was very tired, but couldn't sleep.


• Planning the week: I haven't started this yet. I put down some mandatory events, but haven't done my work-out planning, my meal-planning, or fellowship time. This, I'll take care of today.