Cultivate a habit, have a routine and Follow it.

My people say "you can't open your eyes and watch someone prick them" meaning you can't be alert and watch things slide into chaos in your life, you do something about the situation and take control. A couple of months backs,  I decided to form a godly habit and stick to it. As you may know,every habit requires a routine in fact every habit is formed by routine.

Every night before my son goes to bed, I anoint him with oil and we say our prayers together. Initially he didn't mind my nightly kisses but as a typical boy he's grown tired of mummy's kisses but would rather blow me a kiss as I stand by the door ready to turn off his lights.
Everyday for the past few months, it doesn't matter how tired or stressed I am, I always anoint my son before he sleeps. Infact, my son looks forward to our nightly routine. The moment I walked towards him, he says "nointing" his word for "anointing" (My heart skips ever time he talks after years of waiting and praying for the lord to open his lips. I shared the story Here
Some days when I want to skip our routine, I feel the gentle nudge of the holy spirit to go back and finish the day right by anointing my son with oil.
Aside from his bed times,  we also go through the process before he goes to school.

There  is a purpose to our routine. James 5:14 says " is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him anointing him  with oil"( since I have five strands of grey hair on my head, I think I qualify to be an elder..lol.)

The perfection of Josh's healing is the ultimate purpose of our nightly routine but along the way several things are happening that have been beneficial to mother-son relationship.

• Our nightly anointing provides bonding moments for the two of us
• Josh gets to use his words in prayers
• We both look forward to it.
• It's a date with the Holy Spirit. 
• God wants date time with His children.
• We get to God at work.

This is one of the positive habits and  routines I have cultivated over time. A routine is simply " a sequence of actions regularly followed" in my case for an expected end. A routine is not done haphazardly but deliberately  with an end in view. Jesus had a routine. Luke 5:16 "but Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed". It was his habit to go away frequently to pray so much that his disciples took cognisance of his routine and habit.

TIPS ON BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE HABITS AND ROUTINE

• Find a godly habit
• Create a routine 
• Consistency
• Every routine is deliberate 
• It works with an end in view
• Routine is crucial in building anything.
• It is deliberate 
• What you keep at, you become perfect in. Proverbs 22:29
• Enhances productivity 
• It is healthy to create balance
• It builds structure which is key in healthy and wholesome living.
• It helps create healthy habits
• Positive routine empowers.

Since every habit is built by routine, mind what you put heart and mind to; they are key to  activate success.