Self-Control: Part 2 of 3
The what of what? The gift of discipline? What worldview generates a phrase like that?
If God is for us and not against us…ultimately interested in our wholeness…and if the fruit of the Spirit includes self-control, then it is a gift.
The problem most of us have is in receiving it.
To be clear, I do not experience flawless discipline in my own life. But, I do not think that it is withheld from me or an impossible quest. And while it is a gift, it is also something that we grow like a muscle, becoming stronger with practice. You may very well experience self-control to a large degree in your life, just not to perfection. As mentioned in last week’s post, “some of our disappointment with discipline may be attributed to a standard of perfection rather than excellence. ”
So, as you pursue the discipline to exercise, eat better, finish projects, and more, spend some time absorbing this one word into your pursuit…
Receive.
When you are open to receive self-control, I suspect that you will have more than enough to make the next right move. You don’t have to muster enough discipline for a year’s worth of weight loss, just the next meal. You don’t have to be energized enough for the whole 6 week exercise routine, just the one for today. You needn’t complete weeks worth of work, but you can complete the next task. And tomorrow, you’ll do it again. But not until tomorrow. You are only focused on today.
Receive the gift of discipline. You have more than enough for today.
Worth Repeating
In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves.
-Harry S. Truman
