Discipline gets easier when love gives it a purpose 

Discipline gets easier when love gives it a purpose 

A reflection on perseverance, faith and daily commitment, highlighting Jesus’ discipline and how love and purpose can inspire us to keep going when motivation fades. 

By Julie A. Ferraro | FāVS News Columnist

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. 

The word “discipline” comes up frequently in conversations, especially for parents. Concepts of how to discipline children have changed over the decades and discussions of the best techniques to raise youngsters into law-abiding individuals can cover a lot of ground.

Another use of the word involves an attitude toward certain tasks, as in “having the discipline” to meet a deadline or accomplish a goal. 

Discipline itself comes from the Latin “discipulus” — meaning “pupil” — according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. As a verb, the term involves teaching. As a noun, it can mean sanctions on the object of said teaching, as in “the principal is responsible for deciding what discipline should be imposed for unacceptable behavior.”

“Discipulus” is also the origin of the word “disciple,” used when referring to the followers of Jesus.

The discipline to write

On a personal level, being a writer has required me to nurture self-discipline — a motivation to sit at the computer and assemble words into coherent sentences on a daily basis. Discipline must be nurtured, must be practiced — it doesn’t just happen.

When I first started creating fictional characters and plots — more than five decades ago — I would scribble dialogue and descriptions in a notebook as time permitted: between classes at school or in the evenings after the dinner dishes were washed. 

When I morphed my love of telling stories into journalism, I sat at a desk from 8 to 5, Monday through Friday, and turned criminal trials, vehicle accidents, school board or city council meetings into accounts people could read to be informed about what was happening in their community.

I couldn’t just do it when I felt like it. I had to be disciplined, having sufficient control over my creativity to get the job done in a timely manner.

My fiction, however, still remained more an undisciplined aspect of my life, writing in odd moments when the inspiration hit.

Jesus’ discipline to fulfil his mission

Jesus is an excellent example of discipline, as the Gospels note. He didn’t just sit around and wait for the crowds to come to him. He motivated himself to travel the roads of Galilee and beyond, sharing the news of God’s love and mercy with those he encountered. He might’ve been exhausted at the end of the day, hungry or sore from all the walking, but he continued to fulfill his mission.

To this day, I marvel at St. Francis of Assisi, having visited that city in the Umbrian region of Italy, set on the side of a hill. The paths up the slope are steep — really steep — and he climbed them daily, begging food for the lepers he tended in the valley. He could not have done that without discipline.

It cannot be denied that discipline has a strong connection to loving what we do and those for whom we do it. As a discipulus — pupil — we start in school, acquiring a life-long love of learning, hopefully. When we end our educational journey, we pursue a career in a field we love — or, at least, use the skills we have gained to support ourselves and our families.

A discipline based in love

Jesus embarked on his mission because of his love for all humanity, all creation. He didn’t chuck in the towel when the weather got too hot or the Pharisees publicly objected to his message. 

This combination of discipline and love, especially being able to give his life on the cross, should inspire everyone to integrate these traits more deeply in our lives on a daily basis.

It might mean getting up every day when the alarm blasts music into our cozy dreams, though we ache to pull the covers over our heads and go back to sleep. It might mean finishing a project that has grown boring or cooking dinner when we’d rather go to a movie with friends.

If we remember discipline is based in love, we can do what needs to be done with a lighter heart.

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