Discipline To Keep The Faith

I saw a reel on Instagram where a child told his mom he felt his punishment was unfair because he didn’t know he had done anything wrong.

That moment triggered a thought I’ve been processing: what is discipline?

Growing up, I only understood discipline as punishment. It meant pain, the hard way.

It was a tool used to force me into doing what needed to be done. And to a certain extent, that’s true.

Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭11‬ ‭says it well: “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

I now see discipline as the friend who will get me where I need to go. It’s about building the capacity to maintain the life you want.

 

So What is Discipline?

Discipline, put simply, is training to live wisely.

I want a life I can be proud of, with a great career, a family, community, and the chance to make a difference in this world. But a good life doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built through sacrifice, and faithfulness.

Another word for discipline is faithfulness.

Faithfulness is a powerful word that includes loyalty, commitment, consistency, trustworthiness, and pledging allegiance to a cause, person, or belief.

The good news is that it is a fruit of the Spirit, according to Galatians 5:22-23, so it can be cultivated even in people like me who have struggled with it and always saw it as the big bad wolf.

So, where do I start? The answer is simple but not easy.

 

A Willing Heart

The past few months have been the hardest since I became a Christian. I’ve been exhausted. Simple tasks feel overwhelming. They are days I don’t want to pray, read my Bible, or do anything that feels spiritual.

I realized I was losing hope. I was tired of the discipline it takes to die to myself. But that’s what I signed up for. I guess I hadn’t fully understood what it would be like to carry my cross daily.

Jesus speaks about this in Luke 14:25-33, counting the cost before deciding to follow Him. I’ve been in my “counting the cost” phase.

But here’s the thing: I’ve been in the world, and I left because I knew nothing there would ever be enough. I don’t regret my decision to follow Christ. I love Him. I trust who He is. I know He’s worth everything.

I’m just wrestling with how narrow and hard the road is.

That’s why a willing heart matters. It doesn’t mean feeling strong or ready.

It means choosing to keep saying “yes” to God, even when you’re tired and weak, just as the writer of Hebrews 12:12 encourages:

“So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.”

 

The New Way

At the beginning of this year, I prayed for a word from God for 2025, and He gave me 1 Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”

Maturing is incredibly scary and intimidating. It’s humbling because I’m exposed, and I can no longer get away with certain things. God is removing my crutches so I can learn to lean fully on Him. It sounded good when I prayed about it, but living it out has been a bitter cup, especially for someone like me who used escapism as a defense mechanism.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about addiction.

The struggle of knowing something is harmful yet feeling like you can’t exist without it. Before Christ, I had systems to cope with reality. Now, He’s dismantling all of them.

I’m learning new ways to process pain, which often means being fully present through the entire experience. My pride is constantly being crushed. I can’t fight for myself; I have to trust God by waiting.

As hard as this process is, it’s shaping me into a better person.

God has been kind enough to give me glimpses of the fruit He’s producing in me. I’m becoming more compassionate. I’m slower to speak, especially in confrontation. I’m learning to understand people.

In the middle of all this, I found hope.

 

The Real Strength

The reason I haven’t given up and the reason I know I’ll finish well is hope.

God has been changing how I see His correction. I used to hide from Him when I sinned, much like Adam and Eve did in the garden, because I feared punishment. But then I read Revelation 19:11, where Jesus is called “Faithful and True.”

I also found peace in Romans 3:3 and 2 Timothy 2:13. These verses reminded me that even when I am unfaithful, God remains faithful. That truth lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. My hope doesn’t rest on my ability to stay disciplined; it rests on God’s unwavering faithfulness.

Jesus gave up His life to secure my eternal life.

As Jude 1:24 says, “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.”

Hope has become essential in my life. It’s the reason I can do hard things like saving money, staying in school, and striving to maintain peace in my relationships.

I endure the suffering now because I know it has an expiration date.

1 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ “All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.”

Living a life of discipline would be impossible if there is no hope for the reward in the future.

 

Keep The Faith

I want to encourage you, as I have been encouraged: Have a willing heart and return to God with hope.

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭15‬ “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling,”

God’s discipline is meant to shape us into the image of Christ.

If transformation were impossible, Jesus wouldn’t have died for it.

Have faith in who God says you are, and it will be easier to embrace the changes He is making in you.

1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭49‬ “Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.”

Love,

Albright