The Gift of Discipline

Do you want to see a war? Would you like to witness a power struggle to define all power struggles? Whose will was going to win? This is what you might ask if you were able to use a time machine and venture back to the Jarvis dinner table when my mom was serving vegetables. If it didn’t moo, cluck, oink, or possibly bark (Hot Dogs—hey I was young; what did I know?), it couldn’t be good for you! About the only thing peas and Lima beans were good for was . . . I am still trying to figure that one out.

Anyway, you could depend on a skirmish of World War proportions when vegetables were the battlefield. I would normally try to hide them under some other food, but this often times didn’t work. Upon being discovered, my mom would instigate her patented discipline package which started off with grazing fire and moved steadily towards the large caliber artillery. The 1st step sounded something like this, “Think of all those poor, starving children in India who would give anything to have these vegetables to eat.” I wasn’t sure how my eating these vegetables would help those in India feel any better, but it was alright with me if she wanted to box them up and send them there.

If this step was unsuccessful (and it almost always was), she would move to the scare treatment. It sounded something like this: “If you don’t eat your vegetables you will get rickets or scurvy.” Now, I didn’t know what those were, and they sure sounded bad, but none of my friends had ever had rickets or scurvy and I knew they hated vegetables also. I guess I was willing to take my chances. Unless you were a pilgrim on the Mayflower, who ever heard of someone dying from rickets or scurvy?

Finally, we would reach the 3rd step which was the threat (and ultimate fulfillment) of punishment. (Why did it always come to this?) It took me years to figure out that my mom was not into abuse and torture, but that she really wanted what was good for me. She loves me and wanted to see me grow up to be strong and healthy!

Could it be that God operates in much the same way? I do not always realize what He is trying to do through the discipline and guidance He provides, but I see more and more clearly as I mature how His purpose is to help me develop into more of what he created me to be. This morning, as we look at the mystery of His guidance in our lives, may we develop more appreciation for where He is leading us, and why! -Scott-

Click to listen to sermon, Where Are We Going?