Discipline is often thought of in the negative. Like the discipline it takes to refrain from our guilty pleasures. But sometimes we must learn to discipline ourselves toward the good as well. And the discipline of celebration is one such area.
To be fair, most of us probably don’t struggle celebrating various holidays, birthdays, and the like. And while at times we might have to slow down enough to actually enjoy the moment, rather than getting caught up in all the busyness that often accompanies such times, these celebrations are typically things we look forward to doing.
The need to discipline our celebration often hits closer to home, especially when it comes to our sexuality.
Discipline is simply the practice of training our hearts and aligning our behaviors with God’s standards. And celebration is the act of marking important matters with joy, pleasure, and deep gratitude, which is usually experienced with a sense of excitement, playfulness, and fun.
Of course, there’s a serious and weighty side to our sexuality. And much harm is done when it’s not handled well. At the same time, we miss the mark when we see our sexuality as just a burden or duty without also allowing it to be a point of celebration. It’s not enough to merely know it’s a good gift, or to even commit to moral boundaries, without also taking regular time to practice rejoicing, being captivated, and fully delighting in who God created us to be as sexual beings.
And it’s through this discipline of celebration that we’re empowered to reclaim God’s good gift from the many distortions of the world.
In the end, continue to discipline yourself to resist the bad. But learn also the discipline of celebration to practice fully rejoicing and delighting in the good.
Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash
