SL Life Lessons: Choose Discipline to Avoid Being Disciplined

My son returned from school with a rejected expression. “What’s wrong, buddy?” I asked. Without saying a word, he placed what appeared to be a math test on the table. The math questions contained red “X”s and at the top of the page was a bright red “C-“. This grade was certain to bring his grade average down. “Well, buddy, how much did you study?” I asked. “Not much, Dad.” he humbly admitted. “Well, buddy. It sounds like you chose recreation over studying…you made the wrong choice and it cost you the grade average you were trying to get…” My son didn’t choose the discipline of spending more time preparing for the exam. As a result, he was disciplined with a grade that would impede him from achieving his goal of getting all “A”s.

When we refuse to choose discipline, it often results in us being disciplined at some future date. When a boxer lacks the discipline to train before a match, he’s disciplined by his opponent during the match. A young man that lacks the discipline to stay away from a life of crime is disciplined by jail. When a young lady lacks the discipline to honor her body, she is disciplined with teenage pregnancy. When we shun the discipline of exercise, eating right and giving our bodies the rest it needs through proper sleep, we are disciplined by weight gain and/or a bad report from the doctor.

Discipline doesn’t “feel good” while it is happening. Yet, it leads to us achieving our goals or avoiding a disappointing circumstance in the future. Ironically, not choosing discipline “feels good” at the time and yet it leads to us experiencing disappointments in the future. It’s important that we choose discipline today to avoid being disciplined in the future.

Toward the end of the school year, my son sent me a text that contained an image of his report card showing all “A”s. He wrote underneath the image “…All As…I finally accomplished my biggest goal…” I was proud of my son. Not only because he got all “A”s, but because he was learning at a young age to choose discipline to avoid being disciplined.

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