STRING TEACHES HABITS LESSON

By Olivene Godfrey

The other day I came across a column I wrote about 30 years ago. In the column, I told a story by an unknown author that I had read in an article and had saved. I'd like to share the timeless message with you, even though you may have already read or heard it.

The story goes that a preacher was talking to a large group of boys and girls about bad habits and that the time to get rid of them is before they take a firm hold. He held up a thin thread and said, "See how weak it is. With just one jerk I can break it." Then, calling a big boy to the platform, the preacher showed him the thread and asked the boy to break it.

The boy laughed and easily broke the thread.

Turning to the children, the preacher said, " You have seen how easy it is to break the thread. Yet, I assure you I can wind it around this big husky boy so that he will be powerless."

The boy scoffed and said, " I'll show you that I can break the thread no matter how often you wind it around me. Go ahead."

While the children watched attentively, the preacher wound thread around the boy once and then again. He continued to wind the thread until he had wound it 50 times. Then he asked the boy, " Do you think you can get free?"

The boy said, "Sure". But it wasn't easy. He tried his best. He jerked and moved in all possible directions. But, he couldn't move his arms or legs. The only result of his attempts was that the thread went deeper into his flesh and began to hurt him.

The preacher freed the boy. Then he said, "Children, I have tried to teach you a lesson. The thread I have used represented bad habits. You do a certain thing once, and you know it is wrong. Do not think you can do it again without harming yourself."

He continued, " Maybe you are tempted to do it just one more time. If you yield to that temptation, you will find it a little harder the next time to resist it. Your habit is like the thread I used. The oftener you use it, the harder it will be to break with it. After awhile the habit has such a hold on you that it will be almost impossible to resist the temptation.

Remember what happened to the strong boy when thread was wound around him many times. Remember that he was unable to help himself any more."

This story reminded me of another article which compares bad habits to plaster of Paris. Once formed and rigidly set, it requires a strong person, that is strong of character, to break bad habits. And within a few moments after plaster of Paris is moistened, it sets into a rocklike substance and requires considerable strength to break it.

See you next time.