LifeLove

There is Nothing Wrong or Bad with Routines

Why would he need reminders to call and check up on me if he truly loves me? Why would you need alarms to remind you to pray and read your Bible if you truly love God? Right? Wrong.

Those were the questions I once struggled with. Someone once painted routines and a need for reminders as a sign of lack of passion, lack of sincere heartfelt love. Think of if like religiosity.

How would you feel if one day you checked your partner’s phone and you discover that he has an alarm every 3 hours to remind him to check up on you?

You’ll feel either of these;

  1. He isn’t truly and deeply passionate about me. If he truly loves me, he shouldn’t need alarms, I should always be on his mind.
  2. He sees checking up on me and staying in communication with me important that he wouldn’t leave it to just a natural course, he has made provision to ensure he always remembers.

Before I give a verdict. Let me bring it to our Christian faith also.

Would it be mere routine if I decide to have my devotion every morning by 5 am? Would you count that as mere religiosity lacking a heart and deep passion for God, after all, God should be on my mind anytime and my relationship shouldn’t be mechanical? Wrong.

Yes, love is a matter of the heart. Be it love for God or love for a person. And love is strong, passionate, one that transcends routines or methods or patterns. But one thing we need to take note of is that the heart is housed in a body, a weak, fallen, frail body. 

Have you ever been so crazy and passionate about someone or God that you set out in your mind to spend time with God or the someone just for your body to take over, your body got tired and you slept off?

Or another instance, we are in a world where too many things are in contention for our attention. You have work or studies at the basic, then entertainment, media and so on.

There is a blessing in routines.

I once had a neighbour whose voice praying every day at exactly 5:30 am wakes me up. He never misses a day. I imagine this has become for him a regular habit, his personal time with God. But I can imagine that this started out as setting an alarm or a reminder to have that time as prayer time.

Would you rather have your partner who does a very busy and engaging job to leave talking to you to chance than putting measures in place to make sure he remembers to call or text you?

One thing is sure, his thoughtfulness to put a measure in place to maintain consistent communication with you is a sign of love and intentionality about the growth of your relationship. And what I’ve seen oftentimes is that these routines become for much, second nature, a habit where they wouldn’t even need their alarms and reminders anymore.

I strongly believe that creating a routine, setting alarms and reminders is that solution many are looking for to maintain a consistent and cordial relationship (with God or their significant other).

I strongly believe that creating a routine, setting alarms and reminders is the solution many are looking for to maintain a consistent and cordial relationship (with God or their significant other). Click To Tweet

Stop leaving it to chances, put measures in place that will ensure you maintain consistency, which in turn will help you build the habit.

And if you are the one at the receiving end, don’t take it as a sign of lack of love, no, appreciate and encourage the thoughtfulness and intentionality.

Routines become a problem when you become a slave to those routines. When you become completely dependent on an alarm to remind you to do things and you can’t do without being reminded EVERY TIME. When you don’t once in a while take initiatives outside of the structured and predetermined routines.

Routines become a problem when you become a slave to those routines. When you become completely dependent on an alarm to remind you to do things and you can’t do without being reminded EVERY TIME. Click To Tweet

Is it good to set alarms to pray and study the Bible, Yes. But what if it crosses your mind to pray outside your scheduled times? Then pray. What if your bae or boo crosses your mind outside your scheduled time to check up on them? Call them, leave them a message. The beauty of reminders and routines is that they serve as a guide and that they are. They shouldn’t replace the actions themselves.

Stop leaving the things that matter to you to chance, put measures in place that will ensure you maintain consistency, which in turn will help you build the habit. Click To Tweet

I hope with these few words I have been able to convince us that routines can be more of a blessing than a sign of doom.

Read next; Why “Follow Your Passion” is a Terrible Advice

About author

Articles

Tolulope Oludapo is a young Christian who lends his voice through the media by sharing practical wisdom for everyday living in the most experiential and simplified fashion. This has fetched him the direct followership of over 30,000 users on his blog, lifegiva.com. A blog he founded. He loves to write on varying subjects that affect life, faith, relationship...everyday living.
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