Last week I mentioned that there really is a point in being organized.  Then this week, in a Sunday Bible class, I heard about the importance of living a life of self discipline which is a part of living and being organized.

Have you heard of The Marshmallow Experiment? A child around the age of 4 years old was brought into a room with a table, a chair and one marshmallow.  They were instructed by the adult that if they could keep from eating the marshmallow, they would be given another one when the adult came back into the room.  Then, the adult along with the child’s parents watched from a concealed window at what the child would do.

Some of the children had already eaten the marshmallow before the adult had even shut the door!  Some would take tiny bites and then set it back on the table.  However some would dance around the room and sing, trying not to think about eating that marshmallow.  And some would literally turn their body and eyes away so as not to fall into temptation.

What made this experiment purposeful is that the scientists followed these children all the way through grade school, high school and into adult hood to see how they made decisions.  What they discovered is that the ability of waiting for that second marshmallow was an amazingly strong predictor of their success and happiness throughout their life! 

Those that were able to wait scored higher on the SAT by 250 points, were more confident, self reliant, and more decisive than the children who couldn’t wait.

They had learned self discipline, which is saying no to ourselves.  Dr. David Walsh, Founder and President of the National Institute on Media and the Family, explained that these children learned at an early age to delay gratification.  He also stated that our culture doesn’t live this way anymore.  The culture says “more, easy, fast and fun”, which is breeding an epidemic called DDD:  Discipline Deficit Disorder.  He believes that being a parent is much harder and more difficult in today’s society because the culture is pushing the quick and fun way. However, he says, we must teach our children patience, self-control, to keep from self-centeredness and to have the right balance. 

Action Plan

The reason I shared this experiment with you is because I believe God wants us to live a life that glorifies Him and a life that does for others.  I believe that living a life of self-discipline and order will be the only way to accomplish this.

1. Look at yourself and see where you have self discipline and where you don’t.  Begin to work on these areas as well as pray for God’s help.

2. Then look at how your children are in this area.  Do your own marshmallow experiment!  And then look for areas in which you can help them improve their self discipline.

3. Take a good look at your life and activities.  Are you doing for others?  (Note:  Moms taking care of their children are doing for others!  But, perhaps you could also reach out to your children’s friends or neighbor children or a lonely mom.)

Manna from Heaven

Our God is a God of order as shown in the creation story in Genesis and in I Corinthians 14:40

“But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner.”

Emotional Check-Up

It is so hard to wait for something!  Especially if it is right in front of us.  Remember the story when Jesus was tempted by the devil? (See Matthew 4: 1-11) Jesus hadn’t eaten in 40 days and nights, so He was very weak in all areas relating to man:  He was tempted with food as well as with power.  Satan knew this and so he put temptations right in front of Him.  But Jesus instead focused on what would please God and not what He wanted. Jesus went back to God’s Word and used it to resist temptation.  Jesus understood what self-denial was.

Check your emotions and see if you are able to have the self-disciplines that are pleasing to our Lord.

Financial Fitness

Other than our lack of self-discipline in the area of food, I don’t know of another area that needs self-discipline as much as how we use and spend our money.

Just reading a newspaper from the last few years reveals a culture that lives in debt, deceives others as well as one that has no compassion of the people that are hurt.

We need to start implementing smart decisions regarding money and having self-discipline with it should be one of our top goals.  Here are some ideas that I hope will help you:

• Don’t spend more money than you have.  This is such an elementary concept but it is the cornerstone of a strong financial foundation. Why do our cities and states have to lay off teachers?  Because they have been living in debt and now don’t have the money for the basics.  Don’t let that happen to you and your family.
• Don’t covet worldly things or things others have.  Yes, we would like new clothes, new cars and new everything, but maybe we should resist and trust the Lord to provide?
• Start saving money for an emergency fund.  You and I don’t know when the next financial crisis may occur or if you may loose your job
• Then, begin to pay off all credit-card debts.  Start paying off the one with the highest rate first – this will eliminate the balance that costs you the most. Then move to the card with the second-highest rate, and so on.
• Start saving for your retirement and then college for your children.  If you’re saving for multiple objectives at the same time, keep the funds in separate accounts rather than lumping them all into one.

I pray that as you examine your life and decisions, you will begin to base them on what Jesus would want you to do. And living a life of self-discipline, denial and order is a beginning.