Just the motivation to stay disciplined doesn't mean we will be (this includes getting huge tattoos on your chest). Motivation and desire are only pieces of what it takes to live a disciplined life; pieces filled with not much more than good intent. And from my own experiences, good intent rarely translates into action. So I am constantly asking myself "what is discipline and how do I live a more disciplined life?"
The more I think about it, the more I see it as the trained ability to see beyond "the moment" therefore consistently viewing life and all of it's little pieces from a "big picture perspective." It's the ability to be fully aware of your current state; living every moment with an equal amount of focus AND foresight. Think about it. In times when we lose or forsake discipline, what are we doing? We are making a conscious choice to forgo our "big picture plan" for some type of immediate, "in the moment" gratification or want. If we're on a diet, our big picture plan is to lose weight, be more healthy, live longer, etc. So if we choose to eat healthier, do well for a week, but go back to the same routine we were on before the diet, we have chosen to forgo our long term goal for the little moments of gratification we will encounter by not being on that diet. And what are we left with? Good intent. Where did good intent get us in this scenario? No where.
The same can be true from a spiritual level. There are times when we can be so motivated to pursue righteousness and seek the will of God for our lives. And never is this more true than when we are faced with the guilt of our own sin; especially persistent sins. "Man, I have to make a change. I can't go on sinning this way!"...2 weeks and 100 good intentions later, we're right back at it.
So how do we translate that motivation into discipline? I think it starts with training ourselves to see beyond the moment, while also seeing it for what it is and then begin to piece together the things that make up the big picture. Motivation is only the indicator of where we want to be, NOT how we will get there so we use motivation to establish our goal. Let's use a common male issue and establish a goal to address this issue: "I want to be a man with a pure heart and I refuse to continue my blatant worship of the female body" (i.e. purposeful indulgence in lustful things). Ok, good intentional plan established, now you have to build the framework of WHY and HOW you will actually carry out this goal.
So you start building the big picture and uncovering the reasons WHY for our plan: "If I look at pornography I am harming my relationship with my wife and therefore my children. These actions could lead to divorce, separation and at a minimum a broken relationship because critical relational energy is being spent on things besides my wife. I am blatantly dishonoring God and choosing to put female parts and pieces on the alter that was reserved for Him alone. God has said the sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom of God so my own soul is potentially at risk (especially if it is a persistent choice to place this sin above God). If I love God, why don't I hate this sin enough to stop? Is his mercy and grace for the habitual sinner (the "sin manager" aka Pharisees) or is it for the repentant? (i.e. the one who recognizes their sin and actually turns from that sin)."
In the HOW, you set structure and accountability. "I will not allow myself to look at things that may lead me down the path to lust. I will establish like-minded friends that sharpen me and challenge me towards successful implementation of my plan. I will pray for wisdom to see tempting moments for what they really are. I will pray to see women the way God sees them. I will dedicate all sexual energy towards my wife and my wife alone. I will pray, pray, pray. I will seek to live life in the Spirit.......Etc., etc.
Insert any number of different sins above, but training ourselves to think this way can only help us see the big picture. The more we see things from this broader perspective, the more focus and foresight (discipline) we can have in the thousand little choices that we deal with on a daily basis that ultimately define WHO and WHAT we really are. The sum definitely defines the parts. If we desire to be something, it's time to turn that desire into action.
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