Influential Discipline
Good Morning Girls! Yesterday I started talking about discipline......again. Some of you may wonder what the deal is, why I am so passionate about it. There are many reasons. One of the most important reasons to me is the fact that ultimately, discipline is not about us. It is about our witness, and our influence. Over the last 11 months, I have watched my mentor discipline her flesh in ways we only joked about in the past. I have watched her exercise consistently, change her eating habits dramatically, and taken on new challenges by running 5k's. Here's the part that makes it so obvious to me that this was not about her, but about her influence on others.....she was, is, and always has been thin. Some of you may not understand the point I'm making here. You see, to someone like me, in the past, I would totally understand this new lifestyle if someone were overweight. I mean, people start fitness and weight loss plans every minute of every day. But she was already thin! She wasn't doing these things to loss weight. Why in the world would you make all of these changes if you were already thin?! Quite simply, out of obedience. From the start she has said her lifestyle changes have been in obedience to what the Lord has told her to do, and it has in fact changed her life dramatically. Her cholesterol dropped significantly and she has the endurance of teenager (she outdoes all of us by far). More importantly, it has changed the lives of many women who look up to her dramatically. About the same time she began her lifestyle changes, the Lord began dealing with me on some areas of my life that lacked discipline. It has been a wild ride since we discovered the Lord had us both in "obedience school". Now, she was able to fully grasp what the Lord was telling her to do, and consistently maintained her lifestyle changes. I on the other hand experienced times of rigid discipline intermingled with periods of "doing it my way". One of the things that always helped me get back on track was watching my mentor, still moving forward, doing what she knew to do. Watching her was a motivator to me. After flailing around off and on, I finally drew a line in the sand and said "that's it. no more excuses" I have been moving forward ever since. Now, moving forward does not mean that I have not stumbled from time to time, but we'll talk about that another day. I often wonder what would have happened if my mentor would have quit. Her drive motivated me. I would often say to myself "If she is doing this, why shouldn't I?". How relieved my flesh would have been if she called me up and said, "I've decided to go back to my old habits". My flesh would have rejoiced, but my soul and spirit would have been crushed. She is my pace car. Now that I have been putting myself out there getting on preaches about discipline, I know that there is no turning back. I am someone else's pace car. If I were to go back to my old ways, I could cause someone else to stumble, and I will not be responsible for that! Next time your flesh tries to lead you astray, think of your pace car, and see the good that discipline has done in their lives.
Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith
Love you all-
Jen
Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith
Love you all-
Jen
Comments