I have a total disdain for physical exercise. It never used to be like this, but I think that’s because the physical exercise that I was getting as a much younger person came in the form of fun team sports. I know some people are just group oriented extroverts. They join anything and everything to be part of something bigger. That would be me. I loved team sports like volleyball, swim team, and intramural basketball because it didn’t seem like “real exercise.” Even though we worked the weights, did sprints, and other strenuous activities, we did it as a group so there was great motivation to keep up and to be my best. Somewhere along the line, my life became more sedentary, my opportunities to be part of active groups changed with the addition of kids, and so did the meaning of exercise. I started exercising my parental rights to tell my kids what to do, my right to rest after a hard day of work, and my right to eat whatever I wanted to. Exercising these rights made a control monster out of me. Everyone has issues! Some call them demons. For example when I do something or say something that is completely ridiculous i want to have someone exorcize the demon of stupidity out of me. That happens frequently and is usually a pretty harmless occurrence. The bigger issues however, have always been selfishness and control. In order to really be the woman God created me to be, I need to I have these twin demons exorcized out of me .My natural propensity to be self centered. to do things my way and on my own. In general, discipline is a word that goes against every fiber of my selfish being. Don’t get me wrong, I can be very self discipline when I want or need to be (remember I’m also stubborn and tenacious) but I being the spontaneous person that I am, I want to switch things up easily when I get bored. If you are self disciplined you follow a prescribed routine that will hopefully get you to your goal. You are solely responsible for your success or failure. It’s very individualistic, self-centered and typically a set up for failure. In my human frailty I will not be able to perfectly or consistently meet the standard under this kind of pressure.
Discipleship however, is completely different. Although discipline and discipleship have the same root, one follows a set of programs or tenants, a prescribed way a thinking or acting while the other is about relationship and following after not only a belief system but also the person who embodies that belief system. As a Christian, being a disciple means it’s all about relationship and following hard after the person as well as the teachings of Christ. In disciplining myself to hold to and practice the prescribed path that He has set out in the Bible, it takes, desire, commitment, and determination to follow through, when it’s inconvenient, unpalatable or just doesn’t seem to make sense; but it’s not solely up to me. It’s also about belief and trust in the One I am following. If I get off the path, I will go backward and feel terrible, . As a disciple, God gives love, encouragement, and grace in the process and provides the Holy Spirit to enable me to follow consistently and well. As I exercise my free will to give him control of my decisions, he exorcises the selfishness demons out of me and replaces them with joy, love, humility, flexibility, and power to do what’s right. Exercise and Exorcising are both painful processes, but both lead to a healthier happier me. Now that's exercising (exorcizing) I can live with.
Awesome!
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