Discipline The Quiet Work of Alignment
Discipline. “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening–it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.” –Hebrews 12:11-13
As children, we are born unknowing. Thrust into the world with only wonder, fascination, and the ability to test boundaries. These boundaries are tested to teach us many things. What is right, what is wrong, and how far is too far? Most parents might find this statement hilarious. But we are children too, and we are still testing boundaries. Much like our wobbly-legged offspring, we are often unaware of the boundaries that we are testing. Unaware until we are corrected, in whatever way has been most effective.
I’ve found that pushing in a direction guided only by my own desires often leads to failure. Sometimes the warning signs are obvious; other times they’re subtle—small hints that I’m headed the wrong way. These signs can appear immediately, or I ignore them for years—until I’m plastered into the painted tunnel on the mountain.
It doesn’t get easier with age, either. Only the understanding that discipline will come—not to harm you, but to realign you. For so long, I heard “this hurts me more than it hurts you” echo in my head. I now understand: it isn’t the act of discipline that hurts, but the heartbreak of realizing someone you love has ignored every warning, and you’ve reached the point where correction is the only act of love left.
How do I apply this to my adult life? Before I move in a different direction because something worldly seems better or interesting, I check in. I check in spiritually. I check in mentally. Simply applying “who is this really for?” can quickly bring clarity in these moments. Asking God to help me see the signs and subtle hints that point out where I am heading. For me, the hardest part is understanding when it is not me who is pushing in the wrong direction. In these times, I take a longer pause and I repeat this process. Pray, meditate, and then move. This correction guides me back to purpose and peace.
D. Caulder