The Art of Self-Discipline

It's that time of year. Regardless of what you call them...resolutions, goals, etc., most of us can think of many things we'd like to do differently in the New Year or things we'd like to accomplish for the first time. There's something about a New Year that marks in our mind a "new start" or a "fresh opportunity,"even though we can accomplish any of these goals any time of the year.

Perhaps we want to read that book we'd never thought we could tackle, train our children to be more diligent in a certain area, or get up earlier and have a consistent time in the Word. There are so many possibilities, but at the root of being able to do any of them is that often elusive (especially if you don't have a natural bent towards it) art of self-discipline. More often than not, it is not the uncontrollable circumstances, but a lack of self-discipline, that is the one stumbling block in our paths, continuously frustrating our desire to reach a certain goal or accomplish a certain task. So we trip over it, fall, get up, and start again. However, after doing this several times, we give in to the bruises of discouragement and simply quit.

We tell ourselves we'll try again later (which isn't always bad), but often later never comes. If you're wanting to read a certain novel, and you never finish it, well, you truly can come to it "later" and not suffer any dire consequences. However, if you are focused on spending time daily in the Word or being more consistent in teaching and training your children in a certain area, then quitting simply isn't an option. The consequences are eternal.

I certainly don't have the art of self-discipline mastered. That's why I can speak too well of how a lack of it can be discouraging, frustrating, and annoyingly persistent! So, I was very encouraged when I came across this post by John MacArthur which offers very practical advice about cultivating self-discipline in ourselves as well as teaching the same to our children. Some of the tips might seem especially difficult (um, see the one about not eating the doughnut that caught your eye) and others might be second nature to you already, but, as Pastor MacArthur so aptly reminds us, "...you cannot split your life into the secular and the spiritual. Instead you must live every aspect of your life to the glory of God. And self-discipline cultivated in the seemingly mundane things of life will spill over into the spiritual realm."

www.gty.org/Resources/articles/24

Pressing On,
Queen Mom