Yesterday, I shared my friend Randy Raysbrook’s “Psalm of Hope:”

Today, I want to meditate on these phrases:

I say, “If I am disciplined, things will get better.”

Lord, you say, “Who told you that?”

I’m all for discipline: after all, self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22, 23), and “God has given us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1.7) But discipline is not all there is. Love precedes it on both lists, and love often mitigates against discipline.

For example, on Monday I talked with one of my mentors about my lack of discipline in the mornings. I like to have my prayer time and exercise early, but often I piddle away the time allotted for prayer reading news, checking email, etc. I need discipline, right? So Tuesday, I shut off the WiFi on my iPad so I wouldn’t be distracted and had a good prayer time.

Then came Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday started with a last-second, out-of-my-control change to a project I had already sent to a mailing service on the east coast, two hours ahead of me. No choice but to attack that first thing. Thursday, my son David in Atlanta had to close the pre-school he manages because of widespread weather damage and power outages. So we were on the phone with him and his boys first thing. June reminds me, “People are a good use of time.”

So in both cases, the “discipline” I had decided to do in advance had to give way to serving people in real life. Randy’s observation is correct: there are no guarantees that “If I am disciplined, things will get better.” As I’ve observed before, Jesus did not seem to operate on a disciplined schedule. He always had time for interruptions.

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging…Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him… (Luke 18.35, 40, NIV)

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19.5, NIV)