Working On Our Self-Discipline

“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8

What a disciplined creature! It has no one breathing down its neck and yet it works diligently, planning ahead and doing its job well! Unfortunately most human beings do not behave like that. Unless there is someone watching over us and/or reminding us of deadlines, most work will not be completed.

For SAHMs, the temptation is even greater to let things slide. Unless you have an ogre for a husband, we really do not have a “real” boss to answer to And that is the crux of the problem! Most of us simply aren’t motivated to do our best when there is no one watching. Laziness is inherent in all of us. It is part of our sinful nature. We need to train it out of us.

Without self discipline, nothing will ever get done around the house. And we’ll always be giving excuses as to why things are either left undone or uncompleted in the home. And with many young children in the house, I can assure you that I probably know all the excuses out there

But in the end, the one who suffers most is me. When I am ill disciplined, the house is in a mess and I can’t function properly in it. My mood will also be in a mess and everyone’s faces will show it! My house is no longer haven of peace and love. But one of strife and mess! What sort of a testimony am I for the Lord?

What is the antidote to the lack of self-discipline then?

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24

Our boss is God. Even when no one is watching us and knows what we are actually doing at home, the Lord knows! Everytime I feel lazy, I tell myself to just get on with it and and serve the Lord. A little reward at the end of the job helps too!

Since laziness is inherent in all of us, as we train ourselves to be diligent like the ant, we also need to train our children to be self-disciplined. We will have to be their boss and we have to make sure that whatever we ask them to do is completed properly. This will train them to always do a job well from young so that it slowly becomes second nature to them.

When we are self-disciplined, we can then be able to say NO to our flesh more easily. And this ties in with what I shared before in Say NO To Our Flesh. We need to keep on saying no to our flesh if we want to be walk in and be led by the Spirit.

Developing self-discipline is one way we can achieve it. Coupled with lots of prayer! For in the end “it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” Philippians 2:13