For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Heb. 12:11, RSV).
One of the most meaningful messages I have ever heard Elton Trueblood share he delivered it before an audience of 500 students was entitled "Learn to Love the Difficult." It was an interesting choice of topic to present to those who were students during the 1980s, people who were reared in a society in which comfort, pleasure, and freedom from pain and difficulty were the operating norm.
In his clear and prophetic way, Dr. Trueblood challenged the contemporary desire to get by with doing as little as possible, the national preoccupation with searching for a personal comfort zone. He asked these students to consider the possibility of finding spiritual fulfillment in the difficult. His suggestions ranged far: from the study of intellectual and spiritual giants to the challenge of learning a second or third language to the practice of a personal discipline of regular Scripture reading and prayer. The point he emphasized was that one must exercise discipline if any growth spiritual, mental, or physical—is to take place.
The love of the difficult is an idea that clearly is tied to one of the most striking paradoxes of the human condition: True self-fulfillment comes only through self' denial. I am convinced that when we have mastered a love of the difficult and the denial of self, we will have embarked upon a path of growth that will markedly change our work and our personal lives for the better.
I have often equated the mental aspects of my fitness program with my discipline of running. Like other runners, I am frequently asked, "Do you enjoy it?" To this question my response is "No, I don't enjoy the actual running. It is painful to get out and started, and the first half mile can be a grueling experience. However, I do enjoy how I feel after I run!"
We should not love the difficult be cause we enjoy inflicting pain on our selves a kind of spiritual masochism. Instead, we should learn to love the difficult because of the good that results from what may be a painful process.
Turn your life around
Perhaps one of the areas in which pas tors can apply this love of the difficult most profitably is that of time management. Recently the pastor of a large metropolitan church told me that his life had been turned around during a conference that Dr. Trueblood led at the Yokefellow Institute. The pastor said that it was not what happened in the sessions of the seminar that made such a radical impact on his life, but what happened in an in formal conversation that took place during one of the coffee breaks.
This pastor asked Dr. Trueblood how he found time to write so many books, especially since he carried such a heavy teaching and speaking schedule. Dr. Trueblood reached into his coat pocket and took out his date book. Opening it, he showed the pastor a typical week, pointing out the blocks of time he had reserved in that week. "This is the idea of the fuller date book," Dr. Trueblood told the pastor. "Nature abhors a vacuum, and if I don't mark out times for writing, for study, and for my family, others will demand it. To prevent this, I beat them to the punch."
The pastor began this practice, reserving blocks of time six months in advance and using those periods to think, study, pray, and write. He also found that he was able to work in more time with his family. When someone asked for an appointment during a period that was blocked out, he would politely decline and schedule the appointment for an other time. Telling someone that you have another appointment, even when that appointment is with yourself, is not an untruth. This pastor was surprised at how easy it was to find a time convenient for all. As a result of this practice, the pastor's sermons deepened, his spiritual life grew, and he spent more time with his family.
By and large, pastors control their own schedules. They do not have to punch a time card at the beginning and end of the day. Some events such as emergency counseling and deaths in the congregation break into their schedules, but perhaps more than any other professionals, they have the freedom to prioritize what God leads them to do.
Even so, it is difficult to maintain a discipline of time for oneself or one's family. Many pastors are prone to busyness and the desire to be active in ministry. For the typical pastor, learning to love the difficult is learning to say no to people when they want to infringe upon the time that is set aside for personal growth.
Because time is a sacred gift and using it well requires discipline, I suggest the following covenant:
A Covenant of discipline
Physical disciplines
1. I will be careful as to what I eat,, recognizing that what I consume directly affects how I feel. I will not overeat! '
2. I will exercise regularly, at least 20 minutes per day.
3. I will consult with a physician regularly, getting a physical checkup at least once a year.
Mental disciplines
1. I will read at least 200 pages per week in the field of religious study and 100 pages per week in other disciplines.
2. I will join a study group in which I can share my ideas and test my conclusions regarding what I have read.
3. I will attend at least two continuing education events per year to keep me abreast of new developments in the field of pastoral work.
Spiritual disciplines
1. I will read a portion of Scripture and pray daily, preferably at the be ginning of each day.
2. I will study the great spiritual models of Christian history by reading the classics of Christian devotion. .
3. I will consciously work at "fasting" from those things, both inward and outward, that inhibit my relationship with God; for example, television, idle conversation, and negative criticism.
4. I will invite two friends to meet with me weekly in a spiritual support group in which I can openly share my personal cares and concerns without fear of ridicule or breach of trust.
We cannot learn to love the difficult until we embrace discipline as the functional center from which we operate. It is easy to follow the path of least resistance, but in doing so we become scattered, blurred, and lackadaisical in our pastoral work. Discipline, however, generates power. By learning to love the difficult, by applying discipline to every dimension of our lives, we will learn one of the great truths of the ages: Nothing of any importance is easy.
