Discipline

This week I received some inspiration from a photo of an 83- year-old woman who looks about half her age. I made a copy of her picture and circulated it among my colleagues, telling them that was me. Not one of them said, "You look great", or something to that effect. Instead, one asked, "That’s you?" Another asked, "When did you take this?" They were letting me know-quite nicely- that I didn’t look anything like the woman in the picture. So eventually I told them, "That’s me in a few months."

Now it takes discipline to achieve that kind of appearance. Discipline to get up early in the morning and exercise, discipline to pass up a second helping of that pie or that ice-cream. In the same way it takes discipline to pray, study the Word or write this blog. Acquiring this discipline comes from God. He can help you get where you want to go, be what you want to be, do what you want to do.

I have to admit I’m not there yet, although I’m trying and I’m praying. I remember when I first started walking, I felt like I was ploughing through ankle-deep mud. I struggled to walk one mile those first few weeks. Then I struggled to walk three days a week, but gradually I worked up to one and a quarter mile, then one and a half and this past week I walked two miles two days and exercised two days. Excuse me while I pat myself on the back..

However, my goal is to exercise at least four days a week. To achieve this, I’ve worked out a plan. If I wake up too late to go walking, I put on my video and do a thirty minute workout, or if I feel like doing neither I’ll do some stretching or weight lifting exercises. They are great for toning and limbering up the body. So pretty soon, I’ll be looking like that 83-year-old woman.

My next test of discipline has to do with my writing. I haven’t been exactly consistent in writing this blog. So I’m going to work on that, plus write at least one page of my new book In the Promised Land each day, submit an article every week and keep on submitting and tweaking Coming out of Egypt until I get it published. With a full time job and a home to look after, this could be a daunting prospect, but "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" Phillipians 4:13.

Next week I’ll let you know whether I’m succeeding or not.