As men today, we lack discipline. We all have the potential to do great things and the potential to be the men that God has called us to be, but some fall short because we lack discipline. We all have the potential, but “potential without discipline is a tragedy” to quote Father Mike Schmitz. Also heard another quote for him that said,
“Becoming a disciple of Jesus, is just somebody who adjusts their schedule to get closer to God.”
As men, especially if we are a husband or a father, it’s our job to be the spiritual leaders of our household. It’s our job to be that beacon of light for our wives and children. We need to be those disciples of Jesus. We need to adjust our schedules to get closer to Jesus.
Lots of guys out there spend time adjusting their fantasy football or baseball rosters. They know every person on a team’s roster. They know the depth chart, who’s in the minors, and who’s an up and coming prospect. But do they do that much research to know the saints? Do they do that much research to know Jesus? To truly know Him? They have spreadsheets and analyze players, but do they dive into scripture and analyze what Jesus says? Analyze his teachings?
It’s our job as men to be the head of the household to be that spiritual leader. Jesus calls us to be disciples and to make disciples of others. What better place than to start in our household by making disciples of our wives and children?
Remember, we need to not just be the men who say they’re close to Jesus and say they’re going to do things. We need to be men of action. We need to model for our wives and our kids what a disciplined disciple of Jesus looks like. Someone that goes diving into scripture and reading his word. But not just reading and analyzing it, but actually doing what it says. Talking the talk and walking the walk.
Be that example for your family. Show them that Jesus' word is important. Show them that you’re disciplined with your mind, you’re disciplined with your time, you’re disciplined with your body. Jesus says our body is a temple. Treat it as such. What food you consume. What entertainment you consume. What you watch, what you read, how you pray. These are all things that all men need to be showing and modeling to our families.
In Luke, it says, someone asked Jesus, “Will those that get into Heaven be few?” And Jesus says, “The gate is narrow.” So we need to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make sure ourselves, our wives and our children, make it through that narrow gate.