Have you ever experienced shock and disbelief in hearing news about someone you know – or thought you knew? You can’t seem to get your head around connecting the shocking behavior with the person you know. This is especially true in cases of moral failure.
Have you ever been surprised to hear about someone you know doing something that took a great deal of courage? Perhaps they stood up to authority, or did not back down on a principle.
Usually the response in both cases would be, “I did not know they had it in them to do that.”
In cases such as these, it is usually a matter of private habits being reflected in public. Our private habits shape our lives.
If your private habits are things like praying, reading the Bible, meditating on what you have read in the Bible, holding yourself accountable to others, being transparency, asking for help when you don’t know what to do in specific situations, and setting and keeping healthy boundaries, then the life that will be reflected in public will be a Christ-centered life of integrity and honesty.
On the other hand, if your private habits are things like lusting, viewing pornography, lying, manipulating, cheating, abusing alcohol or drugs, and harboring greed, the life that eventually (if not presently) will be displayed in public will be moral failure, abusing and using others to meet your own selfish needs, or betrayal of trust.
No one wants to be known for the failures that result from unhealthy private habits. Yet so many of us are deceived in believing we can practice unhealthy private habits that will not be revealed in public.
Leaders are most vulnerable to this deception. Leaders seem particularly susceptible to thinking that they can manage or fix the unhealthy habit and keep it hidden from public exposure.
If not handled with humility, the power and influence that come with a leadership role lead to this kind of deceptive thinking.
What about your private habits? If they were made public, would you be ashamed, or would you be comfortable with others knowing what you do in private?
Don’t be deceived: your private habits will be displayed in public. The question is, will you be ashamed or will you be honored when they do?
Reflect on the habits you practice in private and ask the question, are they honorable or shameful? Are they helping you become the person you desire and to live the way you want to be remembered?
If they are not, I suggest you replace them with honorable ones. If in the past you have tried and failed to replace dishonorable habits, I suggest you seek help.
Because private habits will eventually be exhibited in public and when they do, you will either be shamed or honored.
If you would like help in achieving your goals in any area of your life, call us at 208-880-0307 or email us at errol@errolcarrim.com to schedule a complimentary coaching session. To read Errol’s other posts, visit Christ-Centered Life Coaching.