Self Discipline
I had planned on beginning a study of Colosians, but I have decided not to do it right now. For someone like me who has a habit of starting things and not finishing them this might seem like part of that pattern, but it is not.
My wife, gracious as she is, told me she thought I was doing too much. I am a husband and my wife needs my time. I am a father of four kids and my kids need my time. Two nights a week we are in small groups that need our time to be there and study the bible before them during the week. I will be beginning Greek this spring which will obviously require more of my time. I also have a job which well takes more of my time.
All that said, my wife did not think that the timing for an in-depth study was really that good. I didn’t like that at first, but lo and behold I think she is right. I would like to think that I could add more to my plate and maybe I could, but the fact of the matter is that I am not stewarding what I already have on my plate nearly as well as I could be.
They all relate to self-discipline and that is a very weak area for me. It is something I have thought about, prayed about, repented for, talked with other people about for the past few years and honestly have not really grown in at all.
Here are the areas where I know I need more self-discipline:
I may write more later on about my struggle with this, but if you’ve struggled with this and found something that helped you grow in it please do pass it along to me!
P.S.
The Commentary on the Greek text of the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians by John Eadie
was a really, really good read.
December 11th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Duane,
This is known as Real Life ™. :-) Life, especially these days, is busy and the demands on a Christian man are extraordinary. I find myself lamenting how I never seem to have time to do what I must, let alone doing what I want. I have piles and piles and piles of books waiting to be read. It’ll never happen. I have a wife, 8 kids (5 of whom we homeschool), a couple ‘zines that I review for, church (in transition right now), and a very demanding job (which will probably be more demanding soon, if the budget cuts are as grim as we are predicting).
But to quote the Princess Bride: “But, I’ve got my country’s five hundredth anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, MY wife to murder, and Guilder to frame for it. I’m swamped.” “Get some rest — if you haven’t got your health, you haven’t got anything.”
Speaking of Greek, I’ve been working at learning it, but the time issue keeps coming up. My 16-year-old son has actually learned more of it than I. Sigh. Were you going to self-study, or learn as part of a group?
December 11th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Matt,
I’m not sure if the demands on us are more then they were before or not, but it sure does make me feel better thinking that it must be harder today then it was then.
How would you rate yourself when it comes to being self-disciplined? How have you grown in it?
I’ll be doing Greek with a small group at our church. One of our Elders will be teaching/leading the group. We meet next month to discuss our expectations, motivations, etc for learning Greek together.
My work blocks your site for some reason, but I think I’ve been there before.
P.S.
My wife home schools are kiddos too. First year for us – Pray for her! :D
December 11th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
That’s awesome to hear that you’re prioritizing time with your wife and kids and that you are putting into practice what you’ve read and learned in Scripture out of love for God and for your family! I’m sure that is a huge blessing to them!
December 24th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Some of this may be a lifelong challenge for theology nerds like us. We have to remember that just piling on the knowledge on the plate isn’t the same as digesting it and living it out (or letting it be digested and come out the other side … which is stretching the metaphor to a yucky degree but I’m just going with it).
Right now my hunch, going out on a limb here, is that you’re demonstrating what you’ve already learned better by spending time with Joy and the kids than if you kept trying to add more. I’m a single guy with no dependents and I have to remind myself that there’s a time and place to dig into theology and a time and place to step back and focus on other things.
As to the self-discipline topic in general, probably can’t help much unless you were asking for tips on being a guitaristt or composer. :)
December 29th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Amen Jeremiah. Joy and I recently had a “break through” type conversation on this. Talking about where are heart is at with God, going through the motions, etc. You can pray for us that we’d stop being so *easily* satisfied!