You Can't Be a Disciple without Having Discipline

I amazed myself the other day. I finished a novel (non-Harry Potter at that!) in about 2 days. I didn't count the hours, but I bet if I added them all up it would maybe be less than 24. The last novel I read took me months. I really wasn't that excited about it.

Yesterday, I started a new novel. I will probably finish it before the month is out depending on how much I dedicate my time to it. Then, I started thinking about how I've neglected to read this other book I've been meaning to get into again lately.

A few days ago I came across a blog post on self-discipline. I say this like I just "happened" to find it. Actually, I read Penelope's blog pretty regularly. I highly recommend it if you are career-minded and can handle candid opinions. Anyway, back to the topic at hand, after reading it, my immediate thought was "I need to be more disciplined with my workouts, and this is how I will be self-disciplined again," because well, I have been somewhat of a slacker at late.

However, as the days rolled by, I kept having a nudging feeling (especially while I was enjoying my quite time alone with my novels), that I need to be more self-disciplined about something else that I have cast aside. When I googled the word "disipline" not surprisingly the wikipedia entry came up. So I read it. It led me to another word: disciple

Now, I took enough years of Latin in high school to remember that discipulus means "student." So I started thinking, "Am I really a student of God?" Sure, I believe in God, belive Christ died for our sins, yadda yadda yadda. But, do I really study him? My answer would honeslty have to be no. I probably used to. In college. Back when I was single, took 12 credits of classes, and didn't have any money. I had all the time in the world to devote to studying God (because, seriously, who went to class really). But, as I get older (and thus more "responsible") I seem to have let this aspect of my life slip.

But recently I have been feeling the pull to get back into it. So I need to take action. I need to make time to study God. Afterall, I obviously have time to spend an hour in the gym everyday and an hour or two reading for fun every night (and time to write this blog!), so therefore, I have PLENTY of time to study Him. My problem, actually doing it!

My new goal: spend 30 mintues every day studying God. For a month straight. If I miss a day, I start over! (Just like in high school swim practice "If you miss the interval, the whole team starts the set over!")

As a motivator (you'd think my salvation and relationship with God would be enough) will be to treat myself to a new Bible. My old one was given to me by an ex-boyfriend from college (I contemplated naming him), and still has my maiden name on it. It has tons and tons of writing in the margins (despite the fact my ex told me specifically NOT to write in it), passages underlined, and pictures taped to it. Full of memories. I will never throw it away, but merely archive it, and, when inspired, revisit to see who I was between the years of 2001 and 2009.

Today will be day 1. I think I shall retreat to the porch and indulge myself.