Physical Discipline

We humans have a tendency to equate discipline with some form of physical activity.  We watch professional athletes who have to discipline their bodies in order to be able to perform the tasks of their sports.  Runners need to discipline themselves in running and in diet.  Football players need to discipline their bodies in terms of strength and endurance.  The list could go on and on.

In other words, discipline seems like something only for the elite.  If we are not elite, then discipline seems to be less of a worry.  So we don't watch what we eat as closely as we probably know we should.  We don't get the exercise that our doctors would tell us is really good for our bodies.  We don't say no to the huge dessert after dinner.  We have a tendency to think that discipline only applies to the elite, not to someone like us.

And yet, God gives us frequent reminders in His Word about the need for discipline (and, yes, physical discipline) in His Word.  He reminds us that He is the one who has given us our bodies as a gift from Him.  He is the one who has purchased and redeemed our bodies and souls through Jesus and the cross, and so our body is not our own.  Not only is it God's creation, it is God's, period.  And how often would we treat a treasured possession that someone else left in our care like we treat our bodies?

Now, I recognize that physical discipline is not the end-all, anymore than is spiritual discipline or emotional discipline or mental discipline.  God's grace shown to us in Jesus is the end-all.  And so we don't engage in discipline in order to better prepare us for God's grace.  After all, grace is undeserved.  Instead, we respond to God's goodness and grace by applying discipline into our lives.

Physical discipline takes on a new meaning when we think about it as a response to God's grace and gifts to us.  Instead of being a harsh taskmaster, it becomes an expression of love for the God who has given all for us.  And maybe that is a key for us.  Instead of thinking of discipline as a punishment, we can think of it as a grateful response to God's love shown to us.