"Blessing" and "discipline" aren’t normally two words which one would think belong together. After all, discipline is painful (usually), isn’t it? But the other day, as I was spending an hour with my daughter and Zane and Grace at a park, the connection between discipline and blessing started to gel.
The park was bounded, and there was a barrier which had to be crossed, which separated the park from the street. Once when my daughter was in the restroom changing Grace, Zane tried to cross the barrier (as most three- year- olds are wont to do at some point), sending white hot fear coursing through my veins as traffic was oncoming. I immediately shouted, "Zane! Come here!" and he did, averting eminent disaster.
That boundary which said "Do not cross," was a blessing in Zane’s life to protect him from destruction. And also the training his parents have given him, which conditioned him to yield to the voice of authority when he heard it, was a great blessing which protected him from perhaps even death.
Now for a few years, the Lord has been working on instilling some additional disciplines in my life, mostly having to do with time management, and not getting so engrossed in what I am doing at the moment that I let the day slip away before I realize it. He has been teaching me to allot a certain amount of time for each of my responsibilities, and then, when the boundary of that allotment approaches, to yield to it so that I can go on to the next thing. Boy, that is hard for my personality type, which likes to complete 100% of whatever I am working on at the moment before moving on.
I have had my fair share of days when I have crossed those time boundaries and not yielded. But those boundaries, those disciplines, He gently reminds me, are there to bless me. The peace and order of my days increase when I abide by them, and subsequently the peace and order in my home. I am slowly learning (thank you for being so gentle and patient with me, Lord!) that every boundary the Lord has set for me, and mankind, is a blessing of discipline.
I really love the Hebrew word for discipline – defining borders within learning. The Hebrew for disciple is the same word for 'student'. How much more safe and secure we are when we have the confines of those God-given limits.
The Lord is working with me on the time management discipline as well. I found your post quite encouraging. Thanks!
Revka
The Porch Light (http://ourfamilyporch.blogspot.com)