Discipline, Discipline, Discipline

Discipline is my new word. I haven't mastered it yet, and maybe that's why it's my new word. In fact, I'm quite certain I haven't mastered it. That's why it intrigues me. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." There will come a time when discipline won't matter. What I've become increasingly aware of is how wasteful we are of the opportunities we have in life. Opportunities to serve, opportunities to love, and opportunities to work with all our might.

What I'm finding is that there is a rhythm to discipline, and as one thing gets out of whack, it messes the rest up. And one of the biggest reasons we mess up is the lack of focus. We are thinking about what we want to do or ought to do instead of what we're currently doing, meaning that we very rarely do anything with "all our might." That's not the way of Jesus, who was always present in the moment. That is a discipline, and one I'm trying to learn.

The Power of Presence

My 2 year old, Tanner, had a Valentine's Party yesterday at his preschool. 2 year olds don't remember much. I'm not even sure that I remember anything from that young. My earliest memories are somewhere around the 4-year-old mark. It probably wouldn't have been a big deal if I wasn't there. I work and my wife is our primary caregiver to our kids, so she's much more available for those kinds of activities than me. But I came. He had lunch and we talked around the table, I read a story to the kids, and helped him decorate his Valentine's bag with hearts. It took me all of about 40 minutes. But when I came home later that day, he crawled up in the recliner and whispered in my ear, "Thank you for coming to my party." He won't remember much about that day, but if we remembers anything, it will be that I was there. That's because there is incredible power in presence. A friend of mine used to say, "Just showing up is half the battle." That is a powerful lesson in parenting. Our kids will not remember all the things we say, the wise words of wisdom we offer, or the things we buy them...but they will remember whether or not we were there. There is no substitute for presence. I am reminded of that promise from Scripture as it relates to our Heavenly Father. There is never a promise that life will be easy, that we'll never run into hard times, but there is a great promise from God that He will "never leave us or forsake us." Simply, "I'll be present."