www.purpose.com (Pt. 2/2)
DISCIPLINE – The How
Transparently, my personal disciplines you’re about to read have not yet become a habit in my own life, but I know they must in order to live the life I’m called to as a Christian husband, father, coworker, and friend. R. Kent Hughes in his book Disciplines of a Godly Man slapped me pretty hard with a dose of reality, “We will never get anywhere in life without discipline…” With all that said and before you dismiss everything else you’ve read so far, know that I have practiced the simple disciplines you’ll read about below in the past year and the results I experienced are my key to a successful focus on my purpose.
For me, the how behind maintaining my purpose is found in a silly little word association: “www.purpose.com”. It was a natural and easy way for me to remember. Each “w” stands for something that then leads me to have “purpose/my purpose” in life.
Wake Up
The first “W” stands for wake up. I have found that as a new father, the only time I can guarantee in a day is before my family is up. This means that my day really has to start the night before with enough sleep to be able to get up early. I can run on less sleep than most for a while, but the point here is to be disciplined to get enough rest to be consistently fresh. For me, I’m at my best if a get a solid 7 hours or more a night. In order for me to accomplish the rest of my disciplines, I need to wake up by 5:30am, which means I should be lights off before 10:30pm. For several months last year, I was in the gym working out shortly after 5am. While this worked for a time, I found that waking up before 5am consistently wasn’t sustainable for me. Jocko Willink would disagree, but I think he would agree that you’ll have to find what works best for you to consistently wake up in time for the 2 remaining disciplines.
Workout
The second “W” stands for workout. I have found that a good workout in the morning goes a long way. First off, it’s a way you can guarantee you get physical activity in during your day. Life happens…I’ve found that if I wait until the evening to workout, I can come up with or encounter a much higher list of excuses for why I don’t need to or can’t get a workout in. On top of that, accomplishing something physical early in the day gets the endorphins moving and puts my mind in the right place for the rest of my morning and my work day. Working out is important not only for my long-term physical health, but for my mind as well. I truly feel better going into work when I’ve worked out in the morning. Whether it’s in the morning or during the day, I encourage you to find a workout routine that you will make time for. Get creative! Recently, I’ve discovered rucking thanks to my buddies at Dominion Ministries and found it to be an incredible way for me to do cardio. You won’t regret keeping yourself physically sharp. Timothy from the New Testament agrees that staying physically fit is important, but he adds a vital caveat, “Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. – 1 Timothy 4:7b-8
Word
This leads to the third and final “W,” which stands for the Word. In order to accomplish my purpose in life (to honor Jesus, love people, set high standards, pursue excellence, and protect the people entrusted to me), I must consistently be in the Word. For me, I need around a half hour. In that amount of time, I’m not rushed and I have time to think instead of burn through a devo and mark it off my list. This “W” is the core of my disciplines because without focused, intentional time with Jesus there is no way for me to be able to live out my purpose on daily basis. Regarding spiritual discipline, I think R. Kent Hughes in his book, Disciplines of a Godly Man, has the key to unlocking the power of discipline. He says, “The difference is one of motivation: legalism is self-centered; discipline is God-centered. The legalistic heart says, “I will do this thing to gain merit with God.” The disciplined heart says, “I will do this thing because I love God and want to please Him.” With this in mind, my purpose becomes even more clear. I do what I do not because I have to prove anything to God, but rather because I want relationship because I know he wants relationship with me. If Jesus could give his life for me because he wants relationship with me then I can gladly say the reason I wake up is to please God, just as the reason I workout is take care of the body and put my mind in a place that’s ready to spend time with Him. All these things lead to me spending time with God in the Word because I want to become more like Him and know Him more.
My hope for those of you who have found your purpose is to encourage you to prioritize that purpose through discipline. For those of you still working through your purpose, know that Jesus provides the answers and fulfillment you are looking for. Nothing in this world that discipline can bring is more important than daily time with Him.
It’s time for you and me to be about what we talk about. I encourage you to join me on this journey as we discipline ourselves to spend time with the Lord for the purposes of enjoying and glorifying him forever.