This has been a great but crazy summer for me. I don't think I have ever traveled so much in so short a time ever in my life. I traveled 13,150 miles which included 127 hours of driving and 3 plane trips, and I spent 38 nights away from home. While I don't regret having traveled so much, I am certainly glad to be home.
One of the main reasons I am glad to be back is so I can find some routine in my life. It was nearly impossible to keep any sort of schedule this summer. Because of that, my bible study, prayer life, eating and exercise habits, family structure, etc., has all suffered.
A sermon I heard while in Malibu convinced me that I desperately needed structure and discipline in my life in order to grow spiritually. I have been frustrated at my lack of spiritual growth for quite some time. What I didn't realize, was that I was not actively pursuing spiritual growth. How absurd would it be if someone expected to excel in basketball without ever practicing? How crazy is it to expect to get straight A's in school without ever paying attention in class, without reading your textbooks or doing your homework? It's ridiculous! And yet this is exactly what I was expecting in my spiritual life-- growth without effort.
Beginning today, I am actively seeking to bring discipline back into my life. I will no longer wait for Jude's cries to wake me up, but will wake myself up in time to exercise, read, and pray before the day gets underway. Reading the bible and praying are probably the two most important spiritual disciplines. If you aren't familiar with the spiritual disciplines, they are grouped into 3 major categories (according to Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline), Inward Disciplines, Outward Disciplines, and Corporate Disciplines. The Inward Disciplines are Meditation, Prayer, Fasting, and Study. The Outward Disciplines are Simplicity, Solitude, Submission, and Service. And the Corporate Disciplines are Confession, Worship, Guidance, and Celebration.
I am first committing to incorporating Prayer and Bible reading into my daily routine. When I have consistently been reading and praying daily for 3 months, I will add another discipline. Then, when I have successfully incorporated another discipline into my daily routine for 3 months, I will add another. In this way, I hope to do all I can to train myself for godliness, "for physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
