Food for Thought Friday

"If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult". Oswald Chambers

Today, one of my foster sons is up waaaaaaayyy earlier than he should be. It's not even 7am. 6 other children are sleeping and if they get up this early, the day is going downhill fast! I need to keep him quiet so the others can sleep, but this is also supposed to be my quiet time to listen to the Lord and to write. That is not going so well. The cards are definitely stacked against me at the moment, but I'm trying to stay focused on the task at hand with an eye on the big picture here as well.
I chuckled to myself a little when I realized this is the picture perfect scenario of what it is like on a normal day for all of us to practice the discipline of godly habits out in the chaos of the world. It's not easy. It is no zen cake walk. We have to put our all into it. We have to discipline ourselves like we are training for the Ironman every hour! And then I take a deep breath and think, "Thank you God you don't leave us to do this alone". Seriously, we'd never make it.

"for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure".Philip 2:13 

"you whom I took from the ends of the earth,    and called from its farthest corners,saying to you, “You are my servant,    I have chosen you and not cast you off”;10 fear not, for I am with you;    be not dismayed, for I am your God;I will strengthen you, I will help you,    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand". Isaiah 41:9-10

These verses are some that come straight to my mind when I'm overwhelmed by the daunting task of discipline and weeding out my garden. They scream to me I AM NOT ALONE.
Yesterday was a long day for me and the kiddos, we spent a lot of it in the car running errands that couldn't be helped. I tried to make it fun for them by doing fun things around the town we were in, but, oh sweet cream cheese, they just found something to complain about! It was all I could do to keep the calm mommy voice and correct attitudes and remind them of why complaining was unnecessary and blah blah. I found myself driving home after 6 hours of this, just emotionally spent. I'm driving praying for God to just give me a bit more grace, just a bit more patience, just a bit more something. Then I hear them all giggling in the back. They are laughing and playing and just being kids. No arguing, no complaining, just the sweet music of children being children and in that moment I forgot all the frustration of the day. It was not what I thought He was going to give me for the day, it was so much more. Somehow in that moment, He reminded me both that He hears me and that the end is worth it. He reminded me of the reason He gave me this mission. In the struggle of the day, I had taken my eye off of eternity for just a bit and the joy faded.
Perhaps discipline seems more difficult than it is because we lose our focus on the end. We forget eternity and only see the task before us. If He has gone before us to prepare a place, there is no reason we should get so caught up in this one that it ruins our character. It takes discipline to grow roses, it takes discipline to raise children, it takes discipline to run a marathon, and it takes discipline to follow Christ. As we seek to weed out unhealthy spiritual habits and discipline ourselves to bear fruit worthy of Christ, we cannot become our own taskmasters. When that happens, we simply trade one idol for another. Don't trip on the "getting there". We have to remember that it is the Spirit who has been sent to counsel and help us. It is Christ who intercedes for us. We are never alone and we were never expected to do this alone.