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Discipline – Love/Hate Relationship

January 11th, 2012 Filed under Personal Comments Off

Discipline.  A word many of us both love and hate.  I love the discipline of the airline pilot as he goes through his pre-flight procedures….not to fond of it when the TSA agent is doing her job  and throws away a brand new can of hair spray.  Love the discipline of the civil engineers who designed the overpasses on Intestate 4…not excited about the discipline of the Florida Highway Patrolman and his radar gun.  Love watching the results of the discipline of premiere athletes…really hate the discipline of exercise.

This weekend I was blessed to watch the discipline of 1,000s of people played out.  I participated in the Walt Disney World Half Marathon as a spectator – see last sentence in paragraph above.  Over 27,000 people ran, walked, jogged and/or slogged (slow jog) their way from Epcot Center, through the Magic Kingdom and back to Epcot – a distance of 13.1 miles.   And there were also quite a few wheelchair racers who blew through that course – several of them multi-amputees.  Still brings tears to my eyes and can cause me some level of shame! Check this out to “feel my pain.”

What is amazing is that 99% of the athletes did it just to do it.  Now they did get a medal – and since this is a Disney event it was a VERY nice medal….suitable for mounting, for sure.  And I would say 90% of these folks spent LOTS of time preparing for this single event.  It took much discipline to go from the couch to the treadmill or to the street and get moving.  Well, the first time it might have been based on some emotional decision but later as the going got rougher – whether that was rainy weather or achy knees or the finances to purchase new shoes – discipline is what kept them going.  Self-discipline.  I am reminded of the verse from I Corinthian 9:27 – I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. (New Living Translation)

Discipline is setting your mind to doing something and then buffeting your body to do what your Spirit, soul or mind want to do.  And many ways, it is not punishment because we are WAY more than just flesh and blood.  We can believe, desire and think about doing something all we want but if our body doesn’t engage it is not happening.

So what is your “something?”  Run a half marathon – or a FULL?  Lose 20 pounds?  Clean out the garage?  Have a daily quiet time?  Get out of debt?  Write a book?

Over the next couple of days, I am going to spend time determining what my “somethings” are for 2012 and then I am going to go about disciplining my body to make it happen.

What about you?  Would love to hear what your somethings will be in 2012.  Let’s embrace what we LOVE about discipline – the results and not focus on the part we HATE – the pain of getting the results!

My Christmas and Blogging

January 4th, 2012 Filed under Personal 6 Comments

Well, it is the new year and I have made a commitment (I am not calling it a new year’s resolution because those are easy to break) to blog more often.  That is not really too much of a stretch since I have not written anything since September 6!!

Part of my reluctance to blog is often because I don’t think I have that much to say.  Who am I?  What do I have to write about that is worth anyone’s valuable time to read?  Nobody probably reads it any way, right?  Ok do you see the downward spiral I can talk myself into without much effort?

As has been my tradition for the past 7 years, I went to Andrea and Bowdie Jenkins home for Christmas.  This tradition started the first Christmas I was in Texas when Bowdie called and said, “I always want my boys to wake up with Aunt Beck on Christmas morning.  Will you come here?”  It still brings tears to my eyes and now he has three boys!  My time there was delightful and Andrea, the consummate gift giver (and a gifts lover herself), blessed me with many wonderful gifts one of which was a book by Renee Swope entitled A Confident Heart.

What does my Christmas and blogging have in common?  A lot, when you consider the subtitle of the book:  How to Stop Doubting Yourself and Live in the Security of God’s Promises.  From the very first page, I was overwhelmed by how this book was speaking to me and how my doubts, insecurities, etc. have kept me from living out the promises God has for me.  Even the forword by Lysa TerKeurst, president of Proverbs 31 ministry, captured what is so true in my heart.  Let me quote a few lines:

I carried around a little heart-shaped cup and held it out to whatever or whomever I perceived might fill it.

I presented the cup to my education:  “Will you fill me?”

I offered it to my husband:  “Will you fill me?”

I held it out to my child:  “Will you fill me?”

I extended it to my material possessions:  “Will you fill me?”

I presented it to each of my jobs:  “Will you fill me?”

…The more I offered my emptiness, hoping something could fill it, the more inadequate I felt.

I have only gotten through a chapter and a half but I sense this will be a well worn book that I will refer to and re-do for many years to come.  If you get the chance, head to Amazon and check out A Confident Heart’s “Click to Look Inside” and at least read the forword…if you are at all like me, you will be adding it to your cart in no time.

Let me know if you do….that is if anyone reads this.