Discipline

OK...so it's Lent again. For some of humanity, that's important. For a greater part it has no meaning whatsoever, at least subjectively. For me, it means yet another opportunity to consider how to add more DISCIPLINE in my life...and causes me to see how UN-disciplined I often am! Sometimes that's pretty obvious, like when looking at this, my own blog, and realizing it was before Christmas when I last added a post!

When I think of the various ways my own life could and would benefit from more personal discipline, it can become quickly discouraging. It would mean a lot of CHANGE. And a lot of it all at ONCE. Even thinking about it--and remembering past attempts--to change significant aspects of my life, to give up bad (or just unhelpful) habits and replace then with better, healthier ones...well, it takes effort, and pain (the loss of something that was rightly or wrongly pleasurable), and struggle, and time, and patience...and...(fill in the blank!). But, above all else, it also takes WILL.

In his classic book "Celebration of Discipline," Richard Foster writes about the human will. In short, he quotes many wise old gurus of the faith, whom singularly remind us that the more we ourselves will something to happen, the LESS likely it is to happen. Hmmm. He then reminds us that we have to let ANOTHER will have its way with us. And that, of course, would be GOD'S will.

WHAT? Give up OUR control? Let Someone ELSE be in charge? Especially Someone over whom we cannot exert the slightest influence, cannot manipulate, or badger, or trick, or delude, or lie to, or passive-aggressively triangulate into adopting our agenda, or otherwise affect at all? Yaright!

Is it any wonder it is so hard for us to discipline our lives?

The disciplines of the spiritual life, which we are urged to adopt and give a real try during Lent, are not bludgeons to batter down God's indifference to us or get God's attention. They are not earned favor chits to turn in later for prizes, nor are they even tools to make our faith objectively stronger or deeper. What they are, are windows, or doorways, in a sense. Or maybe, hearing aids. ALL they can do is help move more of US out of the way--so we'll give up a little more of our agenda and control and selfishness, so a little more of GOD can get in. The disciplines help us move not so much closer to God, but help us move away from all that is NOT God. And it doesn't take all that much, really, if we stick to it...because just a little smidge of the God of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Sustainer of this vast and wondrous cosmos, as well as your life and mine and every other life, will go a long way. I remember reading once that just a tea spoon-full of the Sun's surface would power a large city for a whole day, or something like that. I think the creator of ten to the twentieth power of stars is powerful enough to enable and encourage change in a single life like yours or mine.

If we will but get out of the way. That's all the will we need :-)

Prayer for The First Sunday/Week of Lent

Lord God, Creator of the Heavens, You spin a hundred billion galaxies in their cosmic stations, and in each one hundreds of billions of stars. Your heavens are truly far too vast and glorious for us to begin to comprehend. We have trouble just comprehending our own little part of this world, and even our own lives. We pray as we enter this Lenten journey to Christ's Passion, this pilgrim caravan of broken and busted lives to the cross, that You will help us move closer to You. Helps us discern just what kind of discipline each of us truly needs. Help us give up or at least nudge aside our own will--just a little--so that Yours might fill into those cracks and spaces that open up. Come the distance between us, as You have promised You will, and are always, always longing to reach across, that we might be touched, and then changed, and then strengthened, and thereby empowered, and finally emboldened...so that we too, might one day take up our own cross, and finally, faithfully, unerringly follow you, wherever You will lead. We ask it through the authority of Jesus, and pray this in His precious name. Amen.