day 2516: Disciplined

“Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise.”

On Saturday of last week I read a story about the elite marathoner, Eliud Kipchoge and how he trains and keeps himself at the top of the running world.  Beyond his physical training his mental training is just as critical and important to him.  As I read his story he uses quotes and axioms to keep him strong.  This one really struck me: “Only the disciplined ones in life are free.”  We could stop right there take inventory of how disciplined we are and probably easily analyze the places in our work (and lives) where we feel trapped or hamstrung, correlating those areas to where we have allowed ourselves or our teams to be less disciplined. But, Kipchoge goes on to add: “If you are undisciplined you are a slave to your moods and your passions.” Yes, we need to be disciplined and if we are not, we risk falling into traps that cause us to lose focus, slow down and potentially wear down and wear out.

Dallas Willard in 1999 wrote a fantastic book; “Spirit of the Disciplines”.  In many ways his book takes us to where Kipchoge challenges us to go. It is only in the spirit and disciplines that Jesus gives us that we can experience true freedom.  We may feel enslaved today to areas in our work and lives that the discipline we need to draw upon is in surrendering to Him what it is that has us trapped.  There is so much that we can’t control, but we can remain disciplined to what He calls us in being a follower.

Note: On Sunday, the next day after reading the article on Eliud Kipchoge, he broke the world Marathon Record at Berlin by nearly 1 minute and 20 seconds! His time…2:01:39! Wow!

Reference:  Proverbs 1:2

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *