Disciplines

I’m reading Disciplines of a Beautiful Woman by Anne Ortlund. This is the next to last paragraph of the first chapter. I loved it and posted it on facebook. It’s so good. Think about it.

“What have I learned in these last six years? That Spirit-motivated disciplines facilitate the Christian walk. Oh, I'm not discounting all the warm feelings along the route, when I've sung Jesus-songs and held hands and the rest. But our sensuous age forgets that feelings come and feelings leave you, but the disciplines of life are what get you to where you want to go.”

So much of what I do or don’t do is based on feelings. I don’t have any really good disciplines. I want to, but I don’t. Or do I really want to? Honestly, probably not. Living based on feelings is easier, but it does not bring glory or honor to God.

Discipline is hard – even more so if you have to discipline yourself or if the Lord has to discipline you. I’m going to try to work on a series about disciplines – either as I come to them in the book or ones I think of on my own or learn about from other people.

It would probably be a good idea to take this as a heeding to continue to teach our children disciplines so that things aren’t so hard on them when they are grown and away from home.