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Life: A Game of Whac-A-Mole?
I don’t think God intended it this way. In fact, both the Old & New Testaments provide perspective on showing discipline.
Let’s start with Numbers 6:21, “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows to the Lord the offering for his separation, and besides that, whatever else his hand is able to provide; according to the vow which he takes, so he must do according to the law of his separation.”
John Maxwell’s Leadership Promises from his Leadership Bible recently detailed how through the vow of the Nazirite, God provided a way for both men and women to specially consecrate themselves to the Lord for a special time and purpose. Similar to the Nazarite Vow taken by leaders like Samson, we can apply discipline in our lives today:
- To abstain from wine & strong drink: Demonstrate self-control to prevent addiction
- To leave hair uncut: Refuse to allow your image to lead (care less about how you look than who you are—wow, that’s a counter-cultural message in the age of Twitter & Snapchat!)
- To avoid contact with corpses: Stay pure and pursue a holy standard
Samson—and others who took the vow—gave up certain rights and made choices in order to live at a higher standard, disciplining himself against the temptations of the day.
In Galatians 5, Paul uses “Self-Control” as one of the Fruits of the Spirit. The Greek word used was Enkrateia (in -crate -EE -uh), which was the power to control yourself and your decisions—in self-discipline. Self-Control is the culmination of the other Fruits, including putting our love for others over selfish desires and embracing a peace that keeps us steady and content.
For me, I’ve had a striking example of self-control in my life recently. Let me explain…
I really never have had to worry too much about my weight. In high school, I was 6’2” and about 160 pounds…or as my weight-lifting coach described me my Freshman year at Texas A&M, “a living ligament.”
Then, I hit the age of 40… In November of 2014, as part of my annual physical at NASA, I weighed 212 pounds. The doctor said that I needed to lose about 25 pounds to be in a healthy range. He suggested trying to shed a pound a month over two years, so the weight loss would be sustainable. I took his suggestion to drink diet soft drinks instead of the regular ones…but did little else to make adjustments. Fast forward 15 months…
By April 2016, I weighed in at 227 pounds. Instead of losing a pound a month as the doctor suggested, I gained a pound per month! (In fact, I skipped my November 2015 physical because I knew I wasn’t where I was supposed to be.) Many of the body weight indicators showed me on the borderline between overweight and obese. I needed an intervention…
Jennifer had success in previous years using Weight Watchers and encouraged me to consider it, and the scale was screaming that I needed to do something! So, I agreed to start their on-line program, where I could track my eating through their App on my iPhone.
In 10 weeks, I’ve dropped 24 pounds—lighter than I’ve been in years. Amazingly, for me, it’s a matter of being more mindful of both what and how much I’m eating. I don’t have to make drastic changes…just a few more salads, less desert, and no more cleaning up after the kids! This experience has revealed to me that my “weight watching” is more about discipline and self-control than anything else.
I encourage you to find an area of focus for you, where you can bring more discipline in the second half of 2016. For many of us, our 2016 New Year’s Resolutions may have faded…
How about a new 6-month goal? Whatever you choose, show discipline, as you shoot for the stars!