The Pleasant Pain of Discipline (Part 4)

As I mentioned in part one of "The Pleasant Pain of Discipline", people quit working out and quit on God for the same reason-- they are not disciplined. Because of the absence of discipline, many people lack the attitude to finish strong. They get discouraged in their attempt to lose weight because they do not see immediate results. It takes hard work, discipline and time to lose weight. This is contrary to sensationalized television commercials that guarantee you will see desired results by training only five minutes a day. If you believe these commercials, discouragement will quickly set in when you realize it takes longer and harder workouts to accomplish your goal. This leads me to my fourth benefit of discipline--perspective.

In similiar fashion, many people get discouraged in their attempt to be like Jesus. James Kouzes says, "problems that are conceived of too broadly overwhelm people, because they defeat our capacity to even think about what might be done, let alone begin doing something about them." I will admit, Christlikeness can be quite an overwhelming thought. It is difficult to overcome and conquer a lifetime of bad habits. We can tend to look at our current condition and think it is impossible to ever change in such a way to act like Jesus. Also, it is so easy to compromise in a world full of distractions and temptations.

To justify our complacent state before God, we tend to compare ourselves to other people. As soon as we do this we lack wisdom and perspective. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:12, "When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." Think about it, you wouldn't go to the gym and look for someone equal to or less than you in physical conditioning to help you lose weight. If this is true, then why should we look to anyone besides Jesus to help us be more godly? So many times, we rely on our physical abilities to achieve our desired results. However, I have found that perspective, the mental veiw of the relative importance of things, is key to accomplishing the goal.

Hebrews 12:3-6 says, "3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." For what son is not disciplined by his father?" Our key to becoming more Christlike is to stay focused on Jesus. As we look to Him, we have a perfect model for godliness to imitate.

I will conclude with a great story on how the right perspective helped a man overcome tremendous obstacles to fulfill a lifelong dream. On July 15, 1982, Donald H. Bennett, a Seattle businessperson, realized one of his lifelong dreams of standing on the summit of Mount Rainier. Bennet climbed to the top of Mount Rainier on one leg, becoming the first amputee to scale that 14,410-foot mountain. In fact, he had to make that climb twice. The year before, a howling windstorm had nearly blown Bennett and his climbing team off the mountain. They had to give up 410 feet from the summit. But Bennett was not discouraged. For another full year, he worked out vigorously. On the second attempt, after five days of rigorous climbing, Bennett made it to the top.

When asked how he did it, he explained, "One hop at a time. I imagined myself on top of that mountain one thousand times a day in my mind. But when I started to climb it, I just said to myself, 'Anybody can hop from here to there. And I would.' And when the going got roughest, and I was really exhausted, that's when I would look down at the path ahead and say to myself, "You just have to take one more step, and anybody can do that.' And I would." (The Leadership Challenge)

Just like Bennett, we can attain the right perspective and accomplish our goal "one hop at a time". Whether its losing weight or becoming more Christlike, it is done one good decision one day at a time. The perspective acquired from the discipline of God will help us make the right decisions.