Where Did My Self Discipline Go?

In the last month and a half, I have been asked by three different people some variation of the question, "How do I pursue more self discipline in my life?" And on a personal note I don't have enough fingers or toes to count all the times I have asked myself the same question or cried out to the Lord to create more of a heart of discipline and self control in my own life. 

So I figured maybe it might be something you have been mulling around in your own head, maybe a question you have been thinking about, or a prayer that has been frequently on your lips. The beginning of a new year tends to create a level of introspection in hopes of new resolutions that will change what we know needs to look different. But resolutions, by nature, are usually broken by now, and the habits we have walked in from the previous year are back in full swing. We need more than a resolution on a piece of paper...we need a heart change, wrought by the Word of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, that gives way to a "putting off" and a "putting on". And we need real people to come alongside of us to walk Heavenward together. We need accountability and encouragement. We need our church family! 

With that said, I am a big fan of "hooks". You know, those things you grab onto...those things you can hang truth on that help you "work out your salvation". So, the following is a slightly edited and reworked (with additions) email I sent to a friend regarding her question of how to become more disciplined in various areas of her life. Just maybe it might encourage you, too: 

"...as I thought on your question of self discipline and what God has used to grow me…a book came to mind that was instrumental in growing my own heart in this (and it's a book I am currently reading through with a gal in my church right now): “Shopping For Time: How to Do It All and Not Be Overwhelmed” by the Mahaney gals. It’s not a new book…but it’s short and helpful! 

They encouraged simple steps, that when taken one baby step after another, add up to pretty big steps over time! :) 

-get up early

-sit at Jesus’s feet

-plan/take personal retreats (for me, that just meant a trip to the coffee shop for an afternoon once a month) to map out your calendar/meal plan

-evaluate relationships

The encouragements they shared with me (in this book) over a decade ago…to “be careful how I walk not as unwise but as wise”…are still encouragements I seek to live by. It was a real blessing then and continues to bear fruit in my life now. By His grace, as I have learned to faithfully be disciplined in both getting up and sitting at Jesus’s feet in dependence on Him through His Word, discipline in those two areas has led to greater fruitfulness and self control (discipline) in other areas. I LOVE the analogy of the walnuts/rice/glass jar as I have seen it flesh out in my own life. Walnuts represent time with the Lord in His Word, prayer, and praise. Rice represents all the other things that need to get done in a day. When you put the rice in the jar first…you can’t get all the walnuts in…there just isn’t room. But when you put the walnuts in the jar first, and then start pouring the rice in, the rice molds around the walnuts and all fits in. (Keeping in mind, God holds our days, our activities and our "to-do lists" in His sovereign control and care). 

As Jesus, Himself, said to Mary, "Only one thing is necessary." (Luke 10:42). And that one thing is sitting at His feet! 

Of course, I can fall far short of what I am sharing with you…and grow overwhelmed in the process. It’s easy to think that because we know the “Well” (John 4:14) and we know the truth, can quote the truth, and encourage with the truth ...that we are “okay” for the day. But our buckets are DRY and the only way to replenish them is to dip them in the well, to abide in Christ through His Word. As John Piper puts it,"The human heart does not replenish itself with sleep.The body does, but not the heart...We replenish our hearts not with sleep, but with the Word of God and prayer."  And that doesn’t mean that starting my day with Jesus automatically guarantees that my day goes GREAT afterwards. My sin still oozes out, often...but my perspective has been aligned and my heart has been humbled before Him and that makes it easier to see my sin, acknowledge it and repent of it!  

On a side note, no matter how hard I have tried, I have learned that (for me) I cannot roll out of bed and open my Bible. I just want to fall back asleep or can’t remember what I read. So I get out of bed, brush my teeth and jump on my elliptical for 30 minutes. I might read Challies during that time, listen to a podcast, read a book I am working through, look at the news, respond to Facebook…just do what I can to get my mind and body going. Then I find I am awake enough to sit at Jesus’s feet before everyone starts getting up and the day starts going." 

Early rising and sitting at Jesus's feet...not easy and not comfortable. But the rewards are far reaching...and just like Mary they won't be taken away from you!