Thursday, January 24, 2013

Discipline

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to take a day off Facebook.  Not for any reason in particular...I just wanted to see how it would go.  This was, arguably, one of the hardest decisions I've had to make in my 25 years of life.  I am a hardcore 21st century protege and a day without Facebook to me would be like a day without [...well, I don't really know...] for my parents.  I know that sounds stupid, but I feel so disconnected from everyone when I don't have 24-hour access to social sites.  And my smart phone doesn't help.  I no longer need a computer with internet connection - I can just hop on my 3G network and have unlimited access.

About two months ago, I decided to try a week without coffee.  This decision wasn't as hard - I had headaches and thought maybe they were caffeine-induced.  Cutting coffee seemed like a logical step.  I missed it so much I couldn't stop talking about it.  I think everyone got tired of that one and they were all happy when I went back on caffeine.  If I mess up or am in a bad mood, my coworker now asks me if I've had my coffee - he chalks a lot of stuff up to coffee-less mornings.  Um, on second thought, I might have a bigger issue than lack of caffeine...  But seriously, I still try to not drink it every day, but that one's tough.

Last year, I decided to participate in a fitness challenge, intending to carry on after the end of the challenge.  I definitely exercise more now, but nothing like what I did for those few months.  And full disclosure, when winter came around, I pretty much said forget this.  I told myself that I needed to prepare for hibernation - and that being sedentary was totally acceptable.  Don't worry, I'm over that and back at the gym, but still.

Anyway, the point to all of this is that all of these things required discipline.  They weren't easy choices to make because they meant changing or modifying a habit (or lack thereof) in my day-to-day life.  It was work.

There are two kinds of discipline.  The first I prefer to call self-discipline, or even self-control (a fruit of the Spirit).  This kind is internal and motivated by the inner person.  The second is initiated by an external person and usually involves punishment or rebuke.  The former is an action, and to Christians, the latter is a gift (Heb. 12:7-11, Ps. 94:12).

I've been musing on self-discipline lately.  It seems like I'm constantly faced with choices to make about  how to spend my time, my money, my affections, and my actions (basically I'm a grown-up).  I  can choose to be wise about my decisions, or I can choose to be foolish.  Or maybe somewhere in between.  However, I think that as a Christian, I'm called to be disciplined.

We're also called to exercise wisdom and discernment (Proverbs 17:24), but not by being "wise in our own eyes" (Proverbs 3:7).  We are to ask God to give us wisdom (especially if we lack it, James 1:5), and to believe and act accordingly.  I think this kind of wisdom leads to self-discipline, and ultimately self-control.

If you are a Christian, you have been given power over sin.  You have the choice to not sin because Christ defeated it at the cross.  That's incredible!  This means that you also have the power to practice something like the Fruit of the Spirit, including discipline/self-control.  You have the power to be humble and ask for wisdom, seeking to live a godly life.

When I think about discipline that way, it becomes more than a decision to get off Facebook for a day.  It becomes a mode of living, a pattern of choices that I'm choosing to follow.  It involves me asking not "what's the 'best' thing?" but rather "what's the wise thing?"

I'm sure this seems like an incredibly boring life to some people, but there is just something so compelling about wise Christians.  I want to become one someday.  Living a wise, disciplined life is definitely more thoughtful and careful, but it also develops a strength/steadiness of character that can endure and persevere.  My prayer, as I continue to grow in faith and grace, is that I would also grow in wisdom and discipline to be a better servant for the kingdom of God - that I would use my time, money, affections, actions, and everything else for His glory.                                       

No comments: