In our cabinet, down next to a leftover bag of Easter candy, lies candy nirvana. It’s the sweet-tooth mother-load, the tooth decay treasure of treasures. It’s a small bag of lollipops, complete with all the most delicious flavors like red, blue, and… purple! No culinary masterpiece can compare to the sticky, colorful sweetness of those lollipops – if you’re three.
Our daughter Micah will ignore cookies, scoff at brownies, and turn her nose up at cake, all if there’s a remote chance that a lollipop might be obtained. Obviously, her mother and I have taken advantage of this as a means of encouraging the intake of more nutritional foods. (No, it’s not bribery, it’s, uh… selective rewarding.) Usually, the promise of a lollipop is enough for Micah to stomach less appealing foods. Yet occasionally she encounters the only four-letter-word in her vocabulary: peas. Actually, it doesn’t have to be peas. Sometimes it’s macaroni and cheese (which she usually loves). But there are times when even the reward of a lollipop fails to motivate her to do what’s beneficial to her.
As we mature, our lollipop/peas struggle morphs into more complex issues. For me, one prime example is exercise. I know that running is good for my overall health, but I still secretly hope to discover a little known verse of scripture that reads, “cursed are the legs that run, for they shall never know peace.” Or perhaps one that says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who runs in his mind has already run in his heart.” Yet despite my disdain, I force myself to regularly get up before God intended, put on my running shoes, and go trudging through the early morning mist with my horse-sized dog in tow. Ultimately, I have learned that the best rewards (i.e. being in relatively good shape) often require enduring that which is difficult and unpleasant.
Regardless of our age, this issue of delayed gratification is one of the toughest lessons we have to learn. I recently read an article that mentioned a behavioral study conducted by Dr. Walter Mischel of Columbia University. In the study, which has been ongoing since 1968, four-year-olds were left in a room alone with a bell and two marshmallows. The kids were given a choice: if they rang the bell, the professor would come in and give them one marshmallow. However, if they were able to wait until the professor came back on his own (after 20 minutes), then the kids got both marshmallows. Most interestingly, Dr. Mischel has followed the preschoolers into adulthood. On average, those that were able to wait made better grades, went to better colleges, and became more adept at coping with frustration and stress. Those that gave in and rang the bell early were more likely to be bullies and to develop addictive behaviors as adults (often with drugs). As remarkable as these findings are, what took Dr. Mischel 30 years to discover, God’s word has been proclaiming for ages:
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11
Most often, we think of discipline, even God’s discipline, as a response to wrongdoing and as a means for correcting bad behavior. Yet the primary meaning has to do with training, not correction. Training implies self-discipline. Whether we’re learning to eat our peas, striving to get into better shape, or looking to increase our ability at a new skill, the practice and training may be tough and unpleasant, but the reward is worth the effort.
I believe that most of us understand this concept as it relates to worldly things. Yet far too many of us fail to apply this discipline to our spiritual lives. We are content with mediocre, weekend-only “faith” that focuses more on religious culture than on life-changing obedience. We’ve added a little bit of God to our lives, and that suits us just fine.
Unfortunately, that “faith” is no faith at all. It’s a pathetic and immature attempt to follow God without actual obedience. Ultimately, we will all answer for what we do with our lives – how we lived, how we treated others, how we spent our money. Incredible rewards will be given to those who have disciplined themselves as they followed Christ as Lord. Daily Bible study, consistent prayer, selfless living, and joyful giving all may be difficult and even painful, yet the promised rewards far outweigh the momentary discomfort.
Everyone who claims to follow Christ must take seriously spiritual training and discipline. It is time for each of us to eat our peas, run our race, and live a disciplined life that ultimately grants the greatest rewards possible.