Oh my, discipline
Discipline is a tough habit to form. Yes, it’s easy to talk about, and for some things, it’s easy to attain. But wow it’s hard when you know what you should do. But well, whatever. Not feeling it. Anyone else relate?
I haven’t shared this story in a while, but it’s appropriate in this context. Years ago, when I was 15, I started running. Really, it was more jogging and it was painful to watch, but I started. It was especially hard since I had zero encouragement. Actually, I had more discouragement than anything else. At one point, my legs were getting a little muscular, and my mom told me “Your legs used to be so pretty!” Um, thanks? Apparently nice plump legs are all the rage for Latinas.
But I kept going. I’m honestly not even sure why. I wasn’t very good. But I loved the way I felt after I was done. It always felt like an accomplishment. In college I started running for over an hour, 6 days a week. It was just what I did. No matter what.
Not super consistent
Unfortunately, this incredible discipline did not extend to all areas of my life. Also in college, I would drink Mountain Dew as if it were water. I would chug on the regular those 1 L bottles in 10 seconds flat. Amazing and disgusting all at the same time. I was also very concerned about what I ate, but in the most bizarre ways possible. For example, I’d eat pretzels until my belly hurt but eschew any kind of nut or peanut butter. Since pretzels had no fat, but nuts had lots.
As I got older, I realized that discipline shouldn’t be relegated only to areas of my life that were easier for me or areas that I preferred or liked. Discipline is one of those things that should be incorporated into every area of our lives.
Shopping carts
I remember hearing someone say once that if you don’t put away your shopping cart in the appropriate spot at the grocery store, you’re selfish and essentially a slacker. And you know what’s funny? I had literally never thought about it. I used to just put the cart near my car for the next person! Right?? Yes, it made the parking lot look a mess, but isn’t that what everyone did?
I think one of the hardest things to see is our blind spots. I guess that’s why they’re called blind spots. Haha! There are a million reasons why we don’t see our blind spots, but at the end of the day, they’re still our responsibility.
One choice at a time
I share all of these stories to encourage you all to focus on having discipline in your lives in some way, shape, or form. Of course, having a regular time of reading some of our amazing books is a phenomenal way for you to start! Just 15 minutes a day would get you through a lot of books every year! But any small thing you start to do can truly have amazing affects.
Choosing to exercise regularly is an awesome way to create discipline. I’m still running in the mornings, despite wanting to sleep in most days. I still love how I feel afterwards, but I never jump out of bed, raring to go. And what’s great about running is that you can use that time to pray. When I’ve tried praying at night, I inevitably fall asleep. I don’t have that issue anymore, since I pray when I run. (:=
Or try changing your beverage of choice to water. My husband and I started off both drinking Mountain Dew like psychos. Then we drank Hawaiian Punch, since at least it’s not carbonated! Yikes. Oh to be young and stupid. We eventually realized that the amount of sugar in both was ridiculous, so we sucked it up and started drinking water only. It was hard at first, but if you ask me now what I prefer, I’d say water all day, every day. Hawaiian Punch is gross and Mountain Dew should never be ingested, in my humble opinion.
Of course, putting your shopping cart in the cart return is probably the easiest thing to start doing. It sounds silly, but I promise, it’s not. It’s the little things that show where our priorities are. Whether we’re treating our bodies in appropriate ways by drinking water, or treating others as more important than ourselves by putting a cart away, it all matters. All of it is building our character. Or breaking it down.
Fence sitter
Eric Metaxas frequently talks about how the devil owns the fence. How I wish that weren’t true. We’ll never get all the t’s crossed and the i’s dotted. I don’t think the LORD expects that of us. But I do think the LORD expects us to do the best we can with what we have. And that starts with the every day, little things we do.
Riding that fence or being luke warm (Revelation 3: 15-16) is not a spot we should seek to be in. Either do it or don’t. Choose to be disciplined or don’t. And inevitably, when we fail, we must dust ourselves off and try again. Or as Poppi sings in Trolls, “I! WILL! GET BACK UP AGAIN!” It gets easier and it’s so rewarding! Besides the fact that whatever we do, we should always do it for the glory of God (Colossians 3:23-24).
Amen?
