July 4, 2012
Some of the unhappiest people I know are those with the most
freedom. They have flexible work schedules, time on their hands, money to
spend, and very few commitments. They can sleep in and stay up as late as they
want, they can put in their eight hours of work in one block or split it up
into two or three blocks during the day, and they can eat their meals when they
get hungry. They theoretically have time to play games, read books, work in the
yard, and enjoy other hobbies. And they often have the financial resources to
support these hobbies. It would seem like these people would be the happiest
people – free to live their lives as they choose. And yet, in my experience,
they are often surprisingly unhappy.
This morning in my devotion I read the following: “In the
conduct of one’s own life it is soon obvious, as many have learned the hard
way, that empty freedom is a snare and a delusion. In following what comes
naturally or easily, life simply ends in confusion, and in consequent disaster.
Without the discipline of time, we spoil the next day the night before, and
without the discipline of prayer, we are likely to end by having practically no
experience of the divine-human encounter.”[1]
Without the
discipline of time, we spoil the next day the night before. We become
slaves to time, believing we have all the time in the world and then running
out of time. Our lack of discipline can leave us scrambling, feeling trapped by
our lives. While it may seem incongruous, and even contradictory, true freedom
comes through discipline.
The person who gets her work done early has the freedom to
accept a last minute invitation to spend time with friends. The person who
trains rigorously as an athlete has the freedom and the endurance to strive for
greater goals and achieve greater success. The person who plans ahead may seem
to have no freedom – and yet, in being proactive instead of reactive a person
can find great freedom and flexibility.
Of course, there is a flip side to this. Some people have such
packed schedules that they become slaves to busy-ness, finding no freedom in
their lives. I was struck by a recent comment: “I don’t have time for
church.” I asked, “Do you have
time to pray?” “Well sometimes... when I’m in the car driving.” This person is unhappy.
This person is enslaved by his ordering of time. This person knows no freedom.
True freedom comes
through discipline. Of course,
I’m a Methodist – and we Methodists believe in discipline (even if we don’t
always practice it). Following daily patterns and forming regular habits may
sound oppressive and confining, but the truth is discipline leads to true
freedom. By ordering the hours of the day with the things that must get done
there is space for spontaneity, time for reflection, and the opportunity to
work towards a greater goal. In the daily patterns of starting each morning
with prayer and exercise and ending the day reading scripture there is great
freedom. These simple habits open up a space for encountering God – a space to
form deep friendships – a space to know true freedom.
And on those days where discipline goes out the window –
well, on those days it is not unusual that we somehow manage to spoil the next
day the night before. But each day is a new day – a chance to start again. Each
new day gives us the perfect opportunity to strive for a disciplined life. Each
day is a new chance to experience grace and forgiveness; a new chance to encounter
the perfect freedom found in Jesus Christ.
[1] Reuben P. Job and Norman
Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer (Nashville:
Upper Room Books, 1983), 226. (From Elton Trueblood’s The New Man for Our Time).
