Disciplines

"I believe you can look at solitude, community, and ministry as three disciplines by which we create space for God. If we create space in which God can act and speak, something surprising will happen. You and I are called to these disciplines if we want to be disciples."
--Henri J. M. Nouwen

Man, this is just a topic that I keep coming back to over and over again. I ebb and flow in disciplines. Now I know that's just part of being human, but its frustrating that it is that way. When I am living a more disciplined life, spiritually, physically, emotionally etc., I am experiencing the best of life. When I mostly am lazy, I will only have instincts to feed my flesh and that sucks life out of you. It just hardly makes sense that the very things that feed us life are the very things we avoid.

I have always believed that there are 2 kinds of people in life: 1) Those that dream and 2) Those that experience their dreams. The only difference typically is discipline. Do we do the things necessary, over and over, to experience the things we long to see? I have been successful in the past and am trying to get a grip now. What I know is that an undisciplined life doesn't work for me, it leaves me feeling worse than when I started. My flesh is a lie. It claims to offer release and freedom, but its a fools gold. It leaves you lethargic and burdened.

Creating space for God as ole Nouwen puts it. I believe in that, now I just need to act on my belief a bit more often. That may start with a walk during lunch today, God and I need to have a chat.

Stop and Notice the Kingdom around you today,