Disciplines for Pressing On

Discover the Truth About the Current Reality

The disciplines that reveal the truth about the current reality can be divided into the categories of reflection and inquiry. Both areas are important for us to assess the current situation clearly.

Failing to assess our current reality correctly can cause us to be sidetracked from our mission. For example, imagine that someone senses that one of God's purposes for their life is that they should be a worship leader. So they set their sights on worship leading as a primary part of their vision. As they gain an understanding of the character and calling of a worship leader they see the importance of integrity, sensitivity to God's voice, the importance of obedience, among other areas. They then seek to assess their current reality and determine that they have strengths already in their integrity and the ability to discern God's voice, but see that they need to develop their musical skills. If their assessment of the current reality is inaccurate, they could easily be diverted from God's paths for their lives. For example, if their integrity and ability to discern God's voice were not as strong as they thought, they could be tempted to use their worship leading as a means to gain the praise and admiration of others, rather than focusing on pleasing God.

In reflection we need to gain our own understanding of the situation and to identify why we believe this to be true. Three questions can help us in reflection:

• What do I believe about the current reality?
• What is the 'data' or 'evidence' on which I have based this belief?
• Am I prepared to accept that this generalisation may be inaccurate or misleading?

Asking questions such as these allows us to slow down our thinking processes and to become more aware of how we form our mental models and how they influence our action.

The next stage of revealing the current reality is inquiry, where we present our views and the reasoning behind them to someone else. A way to do that is to say, "Here is my view and here is how I have arrived at it. How does that sound to you"? The goal is not to win the argument, but to find the best understanding possible of current reality. In order to do this we need to make sure that we honestly and openly disclose the 'evidence' and reasoning that we have, even those areas that weaken our view. Also, we need to be open to receive the comments and insights that others have. The process to do this is:

• Make our own reasoning clear, saying how we arrived at the view.
• Encourage others to explore the view ("Do you see any gaps in my reasoning"?).
• Encourage others to provide different views ("Do you have either different evidence or different conclusions"?).
• Actively inquire into others' views that differ from your own ("What are your views? How did you arrive at your view"?).

With a clearer view of our vision and current reality, we will be able to set intermediate goals that will move us towards achieving God's purposes for our lives.

Another way of reflecting is by creating moments of awareness. Often we will be faced by a situation and we will be tempted react to the circumstances instead of responding in a positive way. We need to seek to build a gap between the incident and our response, and to fill that gap with some reflection that will help us to respond positively. By responding in this manner we will find that we build a fresh awareness of what we want to achieve and take steps towards that goal. Some of the questions that we can ask ourselves are:

1. What is happening right now?

• What am I doing right now?
• What am I feeling right now?
• What am I thinking right now?

2. What do I want right now?

3. What am I doing right now to prevent myself from getting what I want?

4. Make a decision, take a deep breath and move on.

By taking ourselves through these thought processes we can build a fresh awareness of our vision and current reality, and take steps towards achieving the vision. At the end of this thought process we should make a decision, for example saying a phrase like, "I choose..." At times the questions will lead us to a means of moving directly towards the goal of which we have just become aware. At other times, it may lead us to change the focus of our attention, to change the subject. The main point is that we do not remain stuck and immobilised in the same situation, and that we find a way to press on.

We Always Have a Choice

We cannot always choose our circumstances, but we can always choose our response. Sometimes the sheer distance between where we are now and where we want to go to can be overwhelming. One way to bridge the gap is to set a number of smaller goals that will move us nearer to the place we want to be. A benefit of setting goals is that we can gain encouragement, enthusiasm, and energy as we set ourselves smaller targets and see ourselves achieving them. For example, someone who is training to run a marathon will not start by trying to run 42 kilometres the first time that they put their running shoes on. They will set smaller targets and build up to the full distance. They may start by running two kilometres, three days a week for three weeks. Each time they run they seek to do the distance in a shorter time than before. After three weeks they may increase the distance to three or four kilometres. By setting smaller goals, they will ultimately build up the stamina and strength that they need in order to run a full marathon.

In setting goals, there are three important points that we should remember. Firstly, in order to benefit from the goals, they need to be specific. If we are vague about what we are aiming for, we may not be able to plan the specific steps that we need to take in order to achieve them. The second consideration is that they should be measurable. For example, to set a goal such as 'growing in my spiritual life' is both vague and difficult to assess. How can I know that I have achieved the goal? A better goal would be 'to invest an hour each day in spiritual disciplines'. That is a specific goal that can be measured in real terms. In seeking to achieve that goal I would need to start small, which could mean that I initially aim to spend ten minutes each day in spiritual disciplines for three weeks. Thirdly, the goals need to be time-based. We should set a time frame within which we will accomplish the goal. For example, setting a goal to read a particular book is far more beneficial when we set a time frame for completing the reading. For example, committing to read the book by the end of the following month.

A second discipline that will help us to press on past a victim mentality is that of sharpening the axe on a weekly basis (see study 1.8). The disciplines of reflecting and planning will help to remind us that we have a choice to move from where we are, to accomplishing God's purposes for our lives.

Avoid Complacency

A discipline that we need to practise to avoid complacency is that of exercising integrity in our decision-making. With the challenges and pressures of leadership upon us, we will often be tempted to make decisions that will enable us to avoid facing challenges. For example, we may have planned a specific time in our schedule in order to pray. This may be a part of a goal that we have established to develop our devotional life. At various times, we may be presented with opportunities to do other things at that very time. For example, someone may ask us to come to a cafe with him or her. In those times, we need to be prepared to make decisions that fit in with the goals that we have established for our lives. There may be nothing wrong with going to the cafe. We may even decide that the opportunity to spend time with our friend may be the right decision at that time, and we could reschedule our prayer time to be later in the week. We need to ensure that that decisions are made with integrity towards the kind of person that we wish to become.

Some of the other disciplines that have been discussed in the other studies will be valuable in ensuring that we progress towards our vision. For example, the weekly planning of activities that invest in our spiritual, mental, relational, and physical lives will help us to increase our leadership capacity. Also, as we share some of the goals that we have with the small group, they will be able to provide the support, encouragement, and accountability that we need to continue investing in our growth.