"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Hebrews 12:11
I thought, "Wow, this is a great verse for the kids! They really need discipline in their lives." About a week after it was posted, I stopped and read the verse a couple more times. Hmmm......Maybe this verse is for me. Maybe I'm the one who needs discipline. As I thought about my life I realized there were lots of areas that I wasn't disciplined in.
Do I dust weekly or do I wait until I have guests over to dust?
Do I read my bible daily or do I wait until the day before my bible study or read just when I feel like reading?
Do I get things done consistently in a timely manner or do I procrastinate?
Do I exercise regularly and eat healthy foods or am I just exercising whenever and eating whatever I want?
I'm sure I could name a lot more areas that I needed to look at. I'm sure you can think of your own areas to improve on in your own life. I decided to start with regular exercise and eating healthy. My friend told me about a weight loss challenge and since I'm pretty competitive I said I'm in. The hard part for me was being accountable. We go in once a week to weigh in and we all put money in the pot for someone to win based on the highest percent of weight loss. That's it! No one calls or emails me to motivate me. It's up to me! As I started the challenge it was about winning. Now that I'm at the end of the 4th week, it is more about discipline. If I'm disciplined enough to exercise regularly and eat the right kinds of food that discipline produces a harvest of righteousness and peace (which for this example means losing weight). Discipline is not easy, it is painful. I've been exercising 5-7 days per week and there are days that I get on that treadmill and I'm yawning and ready for bed. Twenty minutes into it, I get my second wind to keep on going. The exercise has become a habit. I want to do it because I know the outcome. Now eating the right foods is probably the most difficult. There are so many temptations out there (parties, fast food, your children, etc). It is hard to say no to friends and family and special events. In the back of my mind, I hear the word discipline and I remember the verse.............
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Hebrews 12:11
These five motivate me everyday. Allan encourages me daily and gives me compliments as he notices my weight loss (slow, but hey it's coming off). Victoria supports me by making sure I don't cheat on what I'm eating. She says, "Mom, didn't you already have a sweet this week?" Benjamin, Nicholas, and Elizabeth keep me active by wanting to play outside with them. This picture was after our 3 mile hike at Monrovia Park. I'm so thankful for my family!
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