I recently finished “Discipline: The Glad Surrender” by Elisabeth Elliot. Self-discipline and time management are two areas I want to grow in and so I figured reading a book with the word discipline in the title was the next obvious step.

In the book, Elliot speaks on disciplines such as discipline of the body, the mind, and time. This book was the hit to the back of the head, and the encouraging hand I needed to understand how important discipline is in my Christian walk. She wrote about how self-discipline speaks volumes about faith. Faith is not a feeling or a mood — it is obedience to God no matter what and trusting He knows better.  When I discipline my body and my mind to trust in God first and foremost, and I act in that discipline, I act on my faith.

At the end of the day, discipline is a daily choice. I wake up and I can choose to spend time in God’s Word or I can watch a television show. On my drive to work, I can choose to memorize a verse or I can turn on the radio and sing along. I don’t make the best choice every day. And I’ve learned to stop putting so much pressure on myself to get it right every time. It’s just not going to happen right away. And that’s ok.

Grace is real. Grace is abundant. I remind myself that I just need to always get up, ready to fight for my relationship, ready to keep going and desiring to please and obey God. To do so, I rely on God’s grace. That’s where I start. One day at a time.

“When the will of man acts in accord with the will of God, that is faith. When the will of man acts in opposition to the will of God, that is unbelief.” — Elisabeth Elliot.