A couple of years ago someone told me that it was important to have one word to fixate on every year. Keep in mind I was still a freshman in high school and didn’t really think about or care about WHO I was or WHERE I was going in my future. Freshman year was a huge year of growth for me. I made new friends (which I still have to this day) and developed a work ethic to study and to gain maturity. Self improvement didn’t come until later on… In November of last year I started to read, before then I made fun of people for reading, and this changed my life. I started listening to podcasts and finding my true passions. In January I remembered that advice I heard many years ago “pick one word for the year and make that one word your focus”.
This year I chose discipline.
This word, discipline, stems from a Bible verse in hebrews: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Hebrews 12:11
Discipline is something that I had previously assumed I had but once I truly looked into the biblical meaning and what discipline really is I realized I have not been trained by it. I wake up at 5am to go swim, and I’m not discrediting myself for the hard work that goes into that, but that is my high school sport and it’s required of me to be there. Is that really discipline, just showing up to something you have to be at?
discipline in my life
It takes discipline to wake up at 5 am to go on a run. I am a swimmer. No part of me likes to run or is any good at it-yet. But I wanted to be healthier and try something new so I did it. And trust me it was not easy. Being a swimmer since elementary, I could barely run a mile. After a few weeks, running became easier and gave me a sense of fulfillment. I gained the thought process of “this is fun” or “wow I did that, I am so proud that I did that”.
It takes discipline to make time for prayer every single night. If you’re like me, you probably get side tracked every time you attempt to pray. If being sidetracked isn’t bad enough, what about forgetting to pray days, or weeks, at a time? Yea… I do that way too much. However, you don’t have to be stuck in that position forever. There are ways to pray and strengthen your relationship with God and truly they aren’t that hard. There is no big secret or trick, it is just opening yourself up to God and continuously showing up. Everyday, even when you don’t feel like it, talk to God.
It takes discipline to read the Old Testament when half of it is a list of names. You know what I’m talking about, “someone is the father of someone else”. you read through verses and verses and then “yay i know that name” and then more verses. I’ll admit I got BORED! So what does this have to do with discipline? Force yourself to read those names, because in the midst of their long ancestry, there is a hidden gem, something that God is just waiting to teach you.
It takes discipline to give up fast food for lent. Ok if the other three things didn’t convince you about the way I discipline, this will. These 40 days felt like 100, and i’m not crazy addicted to sonic but all i wanted was a strawberry slush. If you don’t know what lent is, it is the 40 days before the Last supper that Jesus gave up food and water in the desert. As a tribute and recognition to that sacrifice, catholics, and other denominations, give up something that takes away from their time with Jesus. The one thing for me was fast food. In the mornings instead of reading my bible I spent that time getting Starbucks or Chick-fil-a. By giving up the main thing that took away my time with God I was able to grow a stronger relationship with him and even get a little healthier while I was at it.
how can we achieve discipline?
So what exactly is discipline and how can we achieve this? Discipline is control gained by enforcing obedience or a pattern of behavior. Basically, discipline is building a habit that will provide you with growth, even when it is hard and even when you do not want to. The practice of discipline gives us perseverance, righteousness, and a steadfast heart for God.
“for the spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline”
2 Timothy 1:7
Sometimes even God himself will discipline us. He is the Good father and like our parents had to discipline us as children, God will continue his own line of discipline for us. It is important that we abide by his discipline, and yes I know it’s hard, because he is the one who will grant us a relationship with him and salvation in heaven.
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So ne earnest and repent”
Revelation 3:19
Discipline won’t ever be easy, but in my experience it is the only way to grow.
verses I used: 2 Timothy 1:7, Revelation 3:19, Hebrews 12:11