That’s the question that was on my mind when I saw little John without his twin in church Sunday. I knew he looked familiar, but I hadn’t taken a good look at him in a couple of weeks and seeing him out of context, I honestly couldn’t identify him. At that age, looks change quickly.
How quickly do you change?
Speaking to a woman recently, she was commenting on the fact that she wasn’t as disciplined as she wished. She compared herself to others in the church and said, “I am just not a disciplined person.” Neither am I. But if I could step back from my life, I might see that I am more disciplined than I used to be.
Generally discipline is considered a fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5). Several of those, mose clearly self-control, are related to self-discipline. They are fruit.
Since they are fruit of the Spirit, then they are there by the work of the Holy Spirit in our life. And since they are fruit, they probably don’t appear spontaneously, but come to be through activities such as planting, growing, cultivation, weeding, feeding, and watering — all of which take time.
I think a key to self-discipline is having a determination to never give up. And if you are to remain steadfast, then you have to believe you are growing — that you are developing in the area of discipline. Seeing self-discipline as a process is a good start.
It would also be good to observe that you are indeed growing. As a child, my parents let us mark our height on the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room. I remember marveling at how much I had grown through the years. It’s tough to remember where we were in the area of spiritual discipline, so maybe it would be helpful for us each to note the growth we’ve seen in one another. And maybe it would be good to take a risk with a trusted friend and ask, “Do you see places in my life where I have grown?” Such a risk might encourage us more than we expect.
Little John will only be little John for a few more years. Then, I have a feeling, he will be John. And eventually, maybe Big John. If only our spiritual development were as easily recognizable as the physical development of a baby — we might just find ourselves encouraged to lean forward and grow even more.