I understand Whitney’s main argument to be that of as Christian we
need to be disciplined in our lives so that when people see us they will
know there is something different about us that they want to be a part of.
Whitney tells the story of an employee who had become a Christian the
boss stated that it was great he had been praying for him for years, yet
the employee didn’t understand why the boss had not shared Christ with
him in all the years he worked for him. How was he to know that it was
Christ who made the difference in his life.[1] I agree that we need to be
practicing these spiritual disciplines yet, there may be time when there is
more of a focus on several and not as much on others depending on what
chapter you are going through in life. Many time when I had young babies
I really wanted to serve yet, my time was to be spent loving those babies
and not serving like I had been prior to having children. The silence and
solitude at this point in my life is not something that I can go away for a
few days, but I can go alone to the grocery store and pray and enjoy the
little peace that comes with not having to wrangle the children. I think in a
perfect world we would always be constantly in these disciplines,
however, there are many who perhaps cannot medically fast safely for
more than a few hours, so that may look different, maybe they can fast
something that is distracting them from hearing or seeing God during a
time, I guess that would be similar to Lentin fasting.
I know that I can always improve my prayer life, I have started
lately to be more intentional in praying without ceasing daily so in
continuing this I will need to be more purposeful in “never really stop
conversing with God: (I) simply have frequent interruptions” during my
day.[2]I would like to begin Journaling again, it has been over 20 years
since I have journaled and really use that time to digest what I have read
in scripture or prayed for in life, I have purchased a few different journals
to begin this again and I am hoping I may be able to help my daughter to
begin this as well in hopes that it may help with her anxiety in life and
help her get her thoughts out and questions that we may mull over about
God and the Bible, I am hoping that this will help with the “charting of
progress in the other spiritual disciplines and” holding myself accountable
through my goals and seeing what prayers God may have answered that I
may not have seen had I not charted the progress.[3]Lastly, I really want
to be able to really study the Bible more than I have been able to through
some of these classes, to really look at all the aspects of what happened
what the world was like when it was written and why people were
behaving the way that they did. I want to be like Ezra and set my heart on
God’s word, to study, do it, and to teach it , which is also a big part of the
great commission in making disciples and teaching them.[4]
[1]Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life,
NAvPress, Colorado Springs, CO: 2014, 133.
[2]Ibid., 82.
