The Deal about Discipline

 "Don't give up.  Fight like you are the 3rd monkey trying to get on Noah's Ark." -Toby Mac

Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.  Proverbs 25:28

Self-discipline is a true struggle for me right now.  Recently, I told my hairdresser that I am on a great diet program.  It's very simple:  "Eat good 2 days, and eat everything bad for 4."  The scale and my pants have responded accordingly.

This pattern of behavior is in sharp contrast to my high school son, a very disciplined cross-country runner.  He awakens at a very early hour and begins his day pounding the pavement long before the rooster knows it's even time to crow!  His training regimen includes being mindful of adequate sleep, healthy nutrition and optimal hydration.  Many times, I simply stand back in complete "awe" of his daily grind.  The scale and his clothes have also responded accordingly.

After a recent trip to the Deep South where I indulged in every heavenly food that did not eat me first, I returned home only to tell others in my immediate family, "I feel like the Pillsbury Dough Girl."  That night, I went to bed and wrote about how overindulgence made me feel physically, mentally and emotionally.  In the process of documenting my "Deep South dieting disaster," here's what I came to realize.  The sacrifices of self-discipline are harder than we really care to admit.  It's hard to say "no" to that last fried green tomato.  It's hard to walk past the cookie jar in the hotel lobby, after a long day of traveling, and not dive in face first.  It's even harder on our souls when we give in.  Clyde Lee Dennis writes, "We all suffer one or two pains:  Either the pain of developing self-discipline or the pain associated with not having it."  Oh how true these words are!

The simple truth that "discipline" and the word "disciple" share almost all the same letters is not a coincidence.  The word discipline comes from the Latin word "discipulus."  Discipulus, meaning pupil, is the original source of the word "disciple."  Page after page of God's Word documents every hardship Jesus' disciples encountered. For these 12 disciples, maintaining a prescribed conduct or pattern of self-control was far more difficult than we can imagine.  Yet, God's word also highlights pockets of peace resonating in the souls of those 12, a sacrificial peace that surpassed all understanding.

Are you finding your soul lacking in discipline today?  Perhaps you desire to be more disciplined in praying through a difficult situation, reading God's Word or managing your time.  Maybe, like me, you hear God's gentle whisper to take better care of yourself physically.  Join me as we recommit ourselves to greater self-control.  Let's pray for each other, support one another and celebrate His peace throughout the journey.  Amen.