Proverbs 13:18-19
I have received discipline many times in
life, some earthly and some heavenly. Neither is comfortable. I think the worst
happened when I was just lazy and did the wrong thing knowing that it was the
wrong thing. I knew I deserved the discipline. I could have given it to myself.
I have also been caught off guard by
discipline. I thought I had done the right thing and yet I hadn’t. After the
fact, I realized that they were right. I deserved the discipline. The secret to
successful discipline is learning from a mistake the first time, thus not
repeating it.
One of the things I learned from playing
trumpet is that you have to practice the right thing in order to get it right
in performance. If you practice it wrong, either the wrong notes or the wrong rhythm,
when it comes time for performance you will play it wrong. You might play it
really well, but still be wrong.
I found it was better to learn the music right
the first time, even if I had to play it very slowly. I could always speed it
up to the proper tempo, if I had learned it correctly. But if I learned it
incorrectly at the beginning, it was much harder to correct later on. The old
way had a way of creeping back in. When I least expected it, the wrong music
would come out.
The same thing applies in life. Habits I
learned early in life are hard to break. I have to consciously do something
different, or the old will just creep back in. I have to be willing to live a
different way on purpose. Autopilot will crash my life. I must choose to heed
correction daily. And when I do, it feels sweet!
I don’t want to live on autopilot. I want to
make choices that enhance my life and the lives of those around me. I want to
make a positive difference in the world, not because of who I am, but because
of what Christ will accomplish in and through me. I want discipline to change
me. I want to listen to its lessons.