Discipline

What do you think of when you think of discipline? Do you think of punishment and correction? Or do you think of being disciplined in what you do? Regardless of which you choose, you would be right.
Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines discipline as:

Noun:

1a : control gained by enforcing obedience or order

b : orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior

c : self-control

2 : punishment

3 : training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character

4 : a field of study

5 : a rule or system of rules governing conduct or activity

 

Verb:

: to punish or penalize for the sake of enforcing obedience and perfecting moral character

2 : to train or develop by instruction and exercise especially in self-control

3a : to bring (a group) under control discipline troops

b : to impose order upon serious writers discipline and refine their writing styles

The Root and Meanings of Discipline

Discipline comes from discipulus, the Latin word for pupil, which also provided the source of the word disciple (albeit by way of a Late Latin sense-shift to “a follower of Jesus Christ in his lifetime”). Given that several meanings of discipline deal with study, governing one’s behavior, and instruction, one might assume that the word’s first meaning in English had to do with education. In fact, the earliest known use of discipline appears to be punishment-related; it first was used in the 13th century to refer to chastisement of a religious nature, such as self-flagellation. 

The Bible tells us in Hebrews:

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (12:11)

Have truer words ever been spoken? I know I enjoy being disciplined, don't you? Of course we don't. But, it has its purpose and it is SO important! Why is it important? Because it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 

 I think this is one area where we are seeing a huge disconnect with our young people. They have no discipline. They have not been trained for it. When things get hard, they quit, instead of persevering through it. They flit from one thing to the next, not sure what to do, looking for shortcuts and the easy way out. Why? Because that's what they have been trained for. We have to do better than this. We need to be setting an example not only in discipline, but in disciplining and training our young people. It is OUR job to see that they reach maturity and are ready for adulthood.   

Will you join me in being more disciplined? Training our children, the next generation, to be disciplined, not just in word and deed, but also persevering through the hard stuff?