Discipline

On September 10th of this year, we are starting two new ministries that are emphasizing discipleship in American Heritage Girls and Trail Life. They are both scouting programs similar to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts with one difference. They are Bible-based discipleship programs that teach parents how to disciple their kids. My children are both beyond excited about being a part of these to the point of constantly asking when they will start. As a result, we have started taking a little time each evening to begin working on their patches. Just like scouts, you earn patches for putting in the time and effort to learn about different things like camping, history, and the Bible. The kids are loving it, but for my son, he didn’t get to enjoy that time last night.

To say he had a rough day might be putting it lightly. We had a meltdown at breakfast because we didn’t have the right kind of muffins. He was defiant when getting ready for school. When he got home, he wasn’t listening well and kept disobeying what he was asked to do, and he was bullying his big sister. The final straw of the night was when he wouldn’t eat and intentionally spilled his corn all over the dinner table. These days are not normal, but if we don’t punish him, he won’t learn that we don’t act in this manner. He was told that there would be no Trail Life time last night, and he would be going to bed early. Obviously, he wasn’t happy with my decision, but that’s the thing about discipline. We don’t like it. It isn’t fun. It is necessary, however, and it helps us to grow.

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11

Discipline is one of those things that isn’t fun to talk about, but it is so important in the life of a disciple. Notice, the root of “discipline” is “disciple”. Discipline is one of those words that has multiple meanings. It can mean punishment. When we act in a way we shouldn’t, we are disciplined for that. Discipline can also be seen as training. I discipline myself to eat better, read more, or spend more time in prayer. In either case, it can be very hard. In 2024 America, we tend to lean more toward the easy way out of every and any situation. We choose comfort over discomfort, and the results of this prove it. In an article by the Huffpost, everyday a quarter of all Americans visit one of 300,000 fast food establishments. The average family spends $1200 a year on personal electronics. Most families choose their meals each night based on ease of the meal prep over nutrition. As a result, childhood obesity has jumped 219% since 1980. In a post by cabletv.com, 87% of Americans even have a “comfort” TV show. 

In the midst of all of this, we are also the most stressed out people in history. In an article by the American Psychological Association, it was reported in 2022 that 34% of American adults deal with crippling stress that is “completely overwhelming”. Shouldn’t this be the opposite? If we are so comfort-driven, shouldn’t we also have less stress? The truth is, we find more comfort in a disciplined life that has purpose and meaning than we do in a life that focuses on just feeling good. God didn’t design us in a way where comfort should always be our first goal. He created us to be hard workers that put the onus on discipline.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:24–27

We discipline ourselves to reach a goal. Our goal is two-fold: to spend eternity in Heaven and to bring as many people with us as we can. Where does all of this come from? It’s our Love for Christ. In that love, we must also love His discipline. On one side, we learn to be disciplined. On the other hand, God needs to discipline us as well. We need correction. We need the occasional rebuke. Personally, I may need it more than most, but we should also learn to appreciate it. It’s through that discipline that we grow and become the disciples that God intends for us to be. The Bible is pretty blunt about it.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
Proverbs 12:1

Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked. It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory. A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.
Proverbs 25:26–28

Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
Proverbs 15:32–33

I don’t know about you, but I want to be someone who does the right things the right way, and if I am doing those things wrongly, I want to be corrected. We all know those guys who refuse to be wrong. No matter what they are doing, they are always right…..even when we all know they are not. I know these guys well because I struggle with that. I don’t like being wrong, and I have the tendency to argue in defense of myself. Sometimes, those arguments can absolutely go too far. If I’m being completely honest with you, I’m writing this not just for you, but for me too. I’m someone who can fight discipline. I can lean toward comfort. As I’ve grown older though, I’m learning to really love God’s discipline. It has shifted who I am. It has grounded me more in His word. My influence on others is better than it was, because I tend to shut my mouth more quickly and open my ears instead. 

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.
Hebrews 12:7–10

The best fathers discipline us so that we end up being the best adults that we can be. Our Father God disciplines us so that we may live eternally. He wants the best for us. Sometimes, that means He needs to redirect us. This should never be seen as a bad thing. Instead, we should see it as a loving Father Who wants nothing more than to spend all of time with us. As far as I’m concerned, there is no greater honor than to be considered a son of the Creator of the universe. If He wants to discipline me, I’ll listen.