Brother Lawrence on Building Holy Habits
*Originally written by Brother Lawrence in the book The Practice of the Presence of God. Translated into modern English by Modern Saints.
There are many books that detail different methods of going to God and various practices of the spiritual life, but I thought all this would only confuse me rather than help me find what I was searching for, which was nothing more than how to become completely God’s own.
I thought, instead, that I would try to simply give my all for the All. So, after giving myself completely to Him, knowing He would take away my sin, I renounced for the love of God everything that wasn’t Him, and I began to live as if there was no one in the world but He and I.
Sometimes I imagined myself before Him as a poor criminal at the feet of his judge. At other times, I held Him in my heart as my Father, as my God. I worshiped Him as often as I could, keeping my mind in His holy presence, and I brought my mind back to Him as often as I found it wandering.
This practice wasn’t easy, and yet I continued in it in spite of all the difficulties, without feeling guilty or getting down on myself when my mind had wandered off on its own. I made this my first priority all day long, not only in my appointed times of prayer but at all times. At every hour, at every minute, even in the busiest parts of my day, I drove away from my mind anything that could interrupt my thought of God.
That has been my usual practice ever since I began the spiritual life. And even though I’ve done it quite imperfectly, I’ve still found it to be very helpful.
This is, of course, only because of the mere mercy and goodness of God. We (much less I) can do nothing without Him.
But when we are faithful to keep ourselves in His holy presence and set Him always before us, this not only keeps us from doing anything that would displease Him (at least purposefully), but also creates in us a holy freedom. And, if I may be so bold, it produces in us a familiarity with God, allowing us to ask, and ask successfully, for the things we need.
In short, by often repeating these acts, they become habits, and the presence of God becomes, as it were, natural to us.
Give Him thanks with me for His immense goodness, which we could never sufficiently appreciate. He has done so many good things even for a sinner so miserable as I am. May all things praise Him. Amen.
