The Dark Side of DisciplineSample

There are two signs that you’ve crossed over to the dark side of discipline. Yesterday, we looked at the first: a failure to extend grace to those who are less disciplined than you. Here’s the second sign: a failure to extend grace to yourself.

I can be hard on myself if I fail to complete my to-do list, get my kids to bed on time, or accurately estimate how long it will take to complete a project. But just as the gospel helps me extend grace to others, it is also the key to extending grace to myself. Let me explain.

I’ve written a lot about how the gospel compels us to be ambitious for and disciplined in our work. But there’s a flipside to that coin. The gospel is also our source of rest. How? Because the gospel assures you that God adores you even on your most undisciplined day!

Every night as I put my young kids to bed, I say, “Hey girls, do you know daddy loves you no matter how many bad things you do?” They nod their heads. Then I ask, “You know I also love you no matter how many good things you do?” They nod again. Then I say, “Who else loves you like that?” and they reply, “Jesus.”

You and I need to hear those same words spoken over our work today. If you believe that Christ died for you while you were his enemy (see Romans 5), surely you can believe that he’ll love you if you don’t finish today’s to-do list.

I want to close this plan with the same Scripture I started with. In 1 Corinthians 9:25, Paul said, “Everyone who goes in for athletics exercises self-discipline in everything. They do it to gain a crown that perishes; we do it for an imperishable one.” (NTE)

Our crown is imperishable, believer. True, it may have more or fewer jewels in it based on how we steward this life. But our entrance into God’s kingdom—our position as princes and princesses—is secure forever.

May that security lead us, like Paul, to embrace “self-discipline in everything,” while avoiding the dark side of discipline. May we be a people who are purposeful, present, and wildly productive on behalf of our King.

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