Free All I Need Is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans: The Tired Supergirl's Search for Grace by Susanna Foth Aughtmon Page B

free, or so you think. But they are jogging with a goal in mind. Whether it is one mile or five, there is a course that they set out upon; they pace themselves and they go for it. Maybe they are training for a marathon or maybe they run every morning to keep their blood pressure down, but I guarantee you that the whole time they are running, they are not thinking, Hey, this is fantastic. I had no idea this was going to happen. I am running. The wind is in my hair. The pavement is slapping beneath my feet. I feel great.
    There are moments when they do feel fantastic. There are moments when the endorphins kick in and there is no other place on God’s green earth they would rather be. But then there are the moments when the blister begins to form on the back right heel and each step feels like fire. Or there are the stabbing side cramps that come from not getting enough oxygen on a cold winter’s morning. Or there are the moments when they think, Why am I not sitting by the fire, sipping a latte right now?
    The body begins to speak loudly, and it is up to the spirit to say, “I am doing this for a reason. I am pressing on for a reason. I am continuing this painful process for a reason.” The goal outweighs the momentary suffering. And that only comes from being disciplined. From being able to see past the momentary to the eternal or at least to next year. This runner is running because she knows that what awaits her at the end of the run is far better than what awaits her if she sits on her couch and watches exercise infomercials.
    Being disciplined is not so much denying ourselves the things that we like as it is about adding to our lives. Discipline enables us to do more. To be more. Because if you can run one mile this week, you will probably be able to run two next week. And if you put one hundred dollars into savings each month, you will more than likely have some savings at the end of the year. And if you are able to say, “No, I will not have that chocolate piece of heaven with raspberry puree and whipped cream loveliness, even though it has my name engraved on it in chocolate sprinkles,” you may be able to keep yourself from the diabetic heritage that precedes you. When we supergirls are disciplined, we are not denying ourselves, we are investing in our future. And despite what advice the Procrastinator spews our way, it is a good thing to begin investing today. Not tomorrow or next Wednesday or four leap years from now, but today.
    Paul looks at it like this:
    Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
    1 Corinthians 9:24–27
    Paul talks about disciplining himself so that he can share the gospel to the best of his ability. He knows that if he wants to achieve his goal of reaching the Jews, the Gentiles, the oppressed, the free, he has to set his sights on a goal. The prize. If not, he is going to miss out. He has to train himself to do what he should. Which brings to mind the thought that self-discipline is not something that comes naturally to Paul either. Which I find to be encouraging to us supergirls who become so easily distracted from the prize at hand.
    It seems discipline is not something that just springs up within the breast and is easily obtained. Could anything be more difficult than saying no to something you truly long for, like hot chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven, a sparkly shirt on sale, or just thinking of yourself instead of considering others? No, I don’t think so. It goes against the grain to think long term instead of short