When my trousers wouldn’t zip up this morning - I finally accepted that I needed to stop living in denial! At the rate that I am consuming alcohol and carby foods (I am NOT really into fruits and vegetables at this time of the year). I don’t know why I assumed that 30 minutes swimming just 3 times a week was sufficient exercise. Self deception! Or as the Italians say "Roba da matti!" (Sheer Madness!!!) .
I need discipline!
I've been re-reading ‘A Road Less Travelled’ by the late American psychiatrist, S. Peck.
In the first section of this book, he talks a lot about discipline as the basis for spiritual, emotional and psychological growth and development. This is expressed in the forms of delayed gratification, accepting responsibility for oneself and ones actions, a dedication to truth, and balancing. Reading this made me realise that this quality is sadly lacking in my life. I would love to wave a magic wand over my life and get INSTANT discipline. In fact, I prefer this 'magic wand approach. In Galations 5:22 - 23, self-discipline or self control is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit - Fruit is automatically produced, innit?
Perhaps I've got my theology wrong.
In real life qualities like discipline are like muscles - the more you exercise them, the stronger they will grow.
In his book, Peck uses brushing teeth every day as an example. As a child it took a lot of coaxing, cajoling, even threats from my parents to get me into the habit. Now I do it effortlessly, without thinking, and I have reaped the benefits of having fresh breath and a dazzling smile.
The process of discipline involves some effort on our part, a willingness to embrace some degree of suffering - not to avoid it.
As we are now in the season of Lent, the focus in church has now shifted to the discipline of fasting. Perhaps this is a good way to kickstart exercising our 'discipline-muscle'. The benefits of stronger discipline would spill over into every areas of our lives- bible reading, praying, loving people.
A note of caution however, there is a danger of exercising discipline unlovingly, selfishly. All that we do must be in the context of love of God and of others, otherwise we would only create monsters of ourselves. We also, must recognise that sometimes we will fail, and the important thing is to learn lessons from that failure and try again!
