Just saying the word discipline makes me cringe. I don’t have many fond memories associated with it, that is for sure. It just sounds harsh. Discipline. For those of us who have been around children, it is one of the first things we notice. Behavior and actions often indicate whether they have experienced firm or lax discipline. You have seen the kid falling out having a major meltdown in the middle of Target, what is your first thought? Be honest. Often, we jump to conclusions or become very judgmental about how the kid must obviously need more discipline. His parents apparently missed the mark on that one. Discipline. This is a tough one. It is easy to talk about when it comes to behavior modification in kids, but what about discipline as we mature.
My history with discipline
Discipline is not enjoyable. Point blank. Period. In our humanness and righteousness it does not feel good to be corrected. We want to do what we want to do, what we “have the right to do because we are grown” and “we can do whatever we feel like doing” and “nobody can judge me.” Hmmmm. Interesting. It is true. We can do whatever we want to do. But everything we chose to do has consequences. The consequences will be either good or bad, but one way or another, there will be consequences. Most adults are not throwing temper tantrums in the middle of the supermarket, where the need for discipline becomes so obvious to everyone. As we mature the areas that require discipline deal more with the soul: your mind, your body, your will and emotions. In my experience, these areas are far more difficult to train.
When I was a kid, my father ruled the house with much authority. I remember walking on eggshells, hoping and praying that he would not notice us, because if he did we would likely become subject to his wrath or what he called discipline. This painted a not so pretty picture for me. Discipline hurt; physically, emotionally, mentally. So by all means, I wanted to avoid every ounce of discipline. This led to me always wanting to be right, because when you are right, there is no need for discipline. In my immaturity I concluded that if I could just be perfect, get good grades and good reports, then I would not have to deal with the unloving hand of discipline.
Discipline Redefined
My associations with discipline were mostly negative growing up. As I grew in my walk with Christ, I realized that I missed the loving side of discipline. It is a parents role to discipline their children, but not in an abusive manner. Instead of seeing discipline as an action filled with anger and malice, I began to see discipline through the eyes of God. Discipline is necessary. Discipline from God is good. But it still doesn’t feel good. I will be honest, being corrected is not my favorite thing, but I now know that the refinement that results from discipline is worth the temporary pain.
Have you ever been doing something, going about your business and all of a sudden you get this somber feeling inside? That yucky feeling in your spirit. We can choose to ignore it and continue to operate as usual or we can stop and listen for what is being whispered to us. Think about some of these scenarios:
- You are talking with friends or co-workers and the conversation turns to gossip
- In the moment you commit to something that you know you will not be able to do
- You are always tardy for the party (church, meetings, events, etc)
- You spend more time watching TV so you don’t have to deal with life
- You visit websites or have conversations that you hide from others
- You entertain relationships that you know aren’t reflective of what God wants for you
- You eat when you are bored, tired, sad, happy, lonely
- You often find yourself saying things you wish you could take back
- You ignore your credit card balances and just pay the minimums always
From this list, which of course is not conclusive, there are many areas that I have had to submit to being disciplined in. I submitted in order to become the woman I wanted to be, in order to be who God created me to be, in order to have peace in my life. It was so uncomfortable when I had to admit I was wrong for participating in conversations that made me look like a gossip. It hurt me to my heart when I realized that I was not being a woman of my word when I made commitments I knew I could not keep. I had to undergo discipline to change the people pleasing behaviors that often led me to act contrary to who I was inside. I no longer hate discipline because I know that it is for my good. Discipline helps me become the best me, it brings out the God in me, which is love, peace, joy, encouragement, trust, I could go on. I desire these things more than I desire avoiding discipline.
We are disciplined by God because he loves us. He wants us to have a life filled with prosperity; prosperous health, relationships, finances, and souls. God gave his Son so we could have an abundant life. Lack of discipline robs you of abundance. Whether it be energy, reputation, relationships, finances, where there is no discipline there is no peace. I implore you to take an inventory of the areas in which you may have rejected discipline. Did the correction that came from God through your doctors report, your spouse, or even your children leave you upset? Is God possibly speaking to you through a situation that you are ‘done’ with? Don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, he delights in you, he wants to give you peace. Submit unto the Lord and you will find true peace! Until next time…..
How has discipline (especially from God) changed your life for the better?