Di Bassinga Diaries: Discipline

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11

I mentioned discipline and self-control together in my last entry, part of the Effective series, but I want to elaborate on discipline specifically. The way I see it, discipline is the accumulation of moments of self-control. It takes self-control to pray (rather than let worry fester) when you're feeling stressed in a moment, or to open your Bible in the morning before checking your phone. It takes discipline to make these acts automatic, to make them habits. The Bible speaks very highly of discipline and encourages us to look upon it favorably. Discipline is a process; it's a difficult one, at that. Many of struggle to maintain our disciplines, I certainly do, but it's absolutely vital to hang onto them. Let me tell you why.

Discipline is the Difference Between Life and Death

If you took a moment to really study the specifics of your life, you'd realize that you're already a product of great levels of discipline—likely due to your parents or caretakers. If you consistently make your bed, brush your teeth, put clothes and shoes on, eat a few meals a day, drink water, work out, attend classes, water your plants, organize your shelves, or any of dozens more activities I could list, then you've been disciplined over time and your life is likely better (and still going) because of it. We're disciplined by our parents out of love, and God does the same when He asks us to leave our old ways behind, "pick up our cross," and follow Him. Discipline is our livelihood. And though the struggle to maintain it is real, a change in the way we look at discipline can help us tremendously. Here's what the author of Hebrews has to say about it.

Discipline is a Gift

"Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or faint-hearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? — 'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." (Hebrews 12:3-6)

In essence, Christ humbled and disciplined Himself to the point of death so that we wouldn't have to go there ourselves (remember Romans 6:23). Not only that but, as with Jesus, discipline from God is a marker of the love of God and our status as sons and daughter the Father. Think back your parents for a moment as I tell you about mine.

Discipline is a Mark of Love

"It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Beside this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?" (Hebrews 12:7-9)

My father used to get on me and my brothers' tails if we made a mess in the house. Our favorite place to leave a mess was in the kitchen, it was just so easy. Just to make a bowl of cereal, we'd have to lay a bowl down and pour some milk in without spilling any (good luck), make it to the microwave without spilling milk (yeah...okay...), and then we'd have to tap a few buttons on the microwave without leaving marks (lol). After having finished a few bowls of cereal, we were expected to drink the milk (I never did) and put our bowls in the dishwasher. We consistently messed up in every step of the process and we were often disciplined for it.

At the time it was the most annoying thing to have to keep the kitchen clean all the time. But now that I have my own kitchen to look after, I understand every ounce of Papa et Maman's pain. I'm still not the absolute cleanest in the kitchen, not by a long shot, but at the very least I have a base to build on becuase the importance of a clean kitchen was drilled into me as a kid. I thank my parents for being so "hard" on me. I look back and it's one of the many ways they showed the greatest love to me and my brothers—and God does the same with all of us.

Dads Discipline Us for Life as They Know It

"For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:10-11)

Whether it's our earthly father or our heavenly Father, we're disciplined by them only as much as they know to do so. This is where God's discipline separates itself from our own. The Creator of all life is correcting us because He of all people knows the best way to live it--and He wants the best for us. It's why God might close a door here or there despite our best efforts to walk through them. It's why the Spirit convicts us of our sin. It's why Jesus modeled a perfect life and still died on the cross at the end of it (before coming back, of course).

This isn't to say that we play no part in our disciplinary process. At the end of the day, you and I are the ones with the choice to either humble ourselves and listen when our Father correct us or to continue walking through life blindly and falling short. For better or for worse (just for better, I suppose), discipline is necessary. To submit yourself to discipline is just as much a sign of your love for yourself as it is for you father or for God's toward you. Take your time with it, but stick with it. If nothing else, try to find some joy in the difficult things; you'll learn to appreciate them in the long run.

Be blessed.

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Verses to Look Back On:

Hebrews 12:3-11

James 1:2-4

Proverbs 3:11-12

Proverbs 10:17

Proverbs 29:17