Discipline Dilemmas

I was thinking about the issue of discipline this morning. It has to be one of the least natural things in one's life. There are aspects of life for which discipline seems to take little effort (i.e., brushing your teeth, putting on make-up, etc.) with a seemingly small return. There are other aspects of life for which discipline takes great effort (i.e., exercise, good nutrition, spiritual disciplines, etc) that promise a great return. We pat ourselves on the back for doing the minutae of life while conveniently ignoring that we have positioned ourselves for continued failure.

I share this ambiguity. I wrestled this morning to get up and go exercise. I had all the good excuses lined up. It was a mighty tussle to finally admit that the return - although far off - was a good one.

Now as I sit/lie/stand with a pinched disc in my back, I have to question the wisdom of what I did. But, that's all smoke and mirrors because I know that making the attempt this morning was good and right. The trick is to do it a second and third time!

1 Kings 8-9