Disciplined Life
Discipline is my word for 2019. My overall goal for this year is to live a better disciplined life; a better spiritually disciplined life, which I know will lay a solid foundation for all areas of discipline. Spiritual disciplines are defined by Brett and Kate McKay as “habits, practices and experiences that are designed to develop, grow and strengthen the ‘muscles’ of one’s character and expand the breadth of one’s inner life. They structure the ‘workouts’ which train the soul.” This goes right along with 1 Timothy 4:7-8: Train yourself for godliness, for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
One of the top three areas of discipline I want to focus on is fitness- eating healthier and staying physically active. I’m not talking about jumping on board the latest diet fad, but rather just being smarter about my food portions and choices and not giving in to my sweet tooth quite so often. I also want to walk more and get back into a regular workout rhythm. This helps me feel better and releases stress. And I find that when I’m working out I actually want to eat foods that are better for me, so the fitness discipline works in a nice circular fashion.
The next area of discipline is finances. While I’m not terribly frivolous with money, I know I could keep better track of exactly how I’m spending money. This means working from a budget, recording receipts regularly, intentionally relying on the Lord to provide and then being faithful to honor Him with all of it.
The third and biggest area of discipline I need to focus on is time. (Are you with me?) I need to reestablish my daily quiet time with the Lord, seeking Him diligently by reading and studying His Word, talking to Him and quieting myself to listen for Him. I’ve lost this routine in recent months and boy, can I feel it! Oh, how I long to know Him more and to let that knowing impact every part of my life! I want to stop wasting time giving in to the draw of social media, mindlessly scrolling, looking at other people’s lives instead of doing something meaningful with mine. I want to be present in my own life, making it count. I need to give myself room to rest and laugh more often. I long to invest in the people that I love- spending time together, building relationships, showing them Jesus. I desire to pour myself into the things I believe God has called me to, specifically writing and teaching/speaking. I need to stop talking about it and just get to it!
It is my prayer for 2019 that God will use all these areas of discipline to build the muscles of my character, cause me to be both physically and spiritually fit and expand the breadth and depth of my soul- that I will train myself for godliness and honor Christ with a disciplined life.
