The Luxury of Excuses and the Joy of Discipline

After several weeks  of not exercising, yesterday I got back out there. The crazy heat, the craziness of life, the crazy long list of excuses piled up making days turn into weeks and even weeks turn into months. I didn't mean to go this long without physical activity; it just happened.

But that's what excuses do, isn't it? They say you can wait until tomorrow, but then they make those tomorrows add up. And the longer those tomorrows add up, the harder it is to jump back into whatever it is you wanted to do. 

But the beauty of going to bed is knowing when the sun rises, a new day rises too. With the rising sun a fresh start awaits. Each day gifts us with the chance to say yes to what we put off the day before. 

I want to be a more disciplined person. And being disciplined means saying yes even when I don't feel like it. It means choosing to do something that over time will make a good, lasting impact. I'm learning that being disciplined in one area of life helps to be disciplined in another area. Physical discipline affects spiritual discipline. Discipline begets discipline. 

Any time I choose discipline over an excuse it is a victory. And even a tiny victory can be the encouragement needed to say yes the next time an excuse creeps up and says to put it off. And those tiny victories add up to a perseverant joy. On the days when I discipline myself to start the day in the Word, to write, to read, to pray, to exercise and eat well, my attitude and outlook is remarkably more positive than the days I give into excuses. 

I'm been reminded recently that being able to have excuses is a luxury. Many people around the world don't have the luxury of not doing something because they don't want to or don't feel like it or whatever the excuse may be. Having excuses means I have choices. Having excuses means I have opportunity. Having excuses means I have freedom. And that is an incredible gift. This gift of choices, of opportunity, of freedom needs to be stewarded well. 

So today I'll get back out there. Today I will say yes to exercise and it will be a little easier because I said no to excuses yesterday. And when I said yes yesterday, I got to hear Katherine squeal with delight when we came across a whole bunch of geese and see her excitedly wave to all the puppies we saw. She showed me the delightful joy that can be found in a discipline and I showed her that it's never too late for a fresh start.

Fresh starts are grace-filled gifts. And grace-filled gifts can lead to joy.