Discipline

Discipline

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7

When I open the newspaper each morning, I see evidence of a lack of self-discipline. I read about sex scandals in the government, bombings around the world, and fraudulent business deals in big companies. In my own community I hear about extramarital affairs, robberies, and addictive behaviors.

Discipline is defined as controlled behavior resulting from training—self-control. How we are taught—what we learned in the past and what we are presently learning—determines the way we live. And what we are presently teaching our children will influence the way they live.

Some people think, Who needs self-discipline anyway? It’s too restrictive! What I want is freedom! If we choose to follow that path, the result isn’t freedom—it’s bondage. The woman I walked past at the grocery store who reeked of alcohol was not experiencing the freedom of drinking as much as she wanted; she was in bondage to her craving.

Margaret Henshaw, a distinguished American soprano and voice teacher, was once asked about the key to becoming a master performer and teacher. Her response was, “Nobody likes the word discipline; I hate it myself, but if you don’t discipline yourself you’re never going to accomplish anything. I think many people confuse freedom and discipline. They are not taught that freedom is the highest form of discipline” (emphasis added).^a

If we wish to be free from the restraints of any kind of slavery or oppression, we must choose discipline.

Father,

The closer we walk with you, the more your Spirit helps us to want self-discipline. Please help us to grow in that quality and model it in front of our children. Amen.