RECOVERY MIDWITS

I have been trying to plan the curriculum for the coming semester and hitting all kinds of walls. The focus this semester is on Habits, but the challenge with discussing habits is that they can appear obvious and there is a lot of focus on “how” they work without addressing the foundational “why” one may want to change them. Anyway, after coming back from Move in day, I was getting into some yard work and I decided to listen to Fr. Mike’s sermon for the week. As usual, it was excellent and I listened to it again today to write down some of the great phrases he spoke. I really appreciated his message yesterday – after all, I did listen to it twice to write some of it down, but on second listen, I realized he provided an excellent foundational “why” on habits that is practical and faith enhancing. I will outline some of those points he made below and highlight the phrases that will likely become posters in the group room. First, here is the link…

He starts off with the non-negotiable necessity of discipline in life. Potential is meaningless without discipline.

Potential without discipline is potential wasted.

He makes the observation that great atheletes and Olympians are ordinary people who excel due to discipline – discipline is what differentiates them, not some innate qualities. He quotes Jocko Willink’s phrase, “discipline equals freedom,” and talks about its wisdom. However, as necessary as discipline is, Fr. Mike states that

Discipline is not the point- It is the Path.

It is only a vehicle that transforms us. The real question is not discipline itself, but where I want discipline to take me. We tend to have a focus on who we are, but that is limiting. It is most important to ask:

Who do I want to be and what do I want to be true about myself – in a year, in a semester, at the end of this week?

Like Olympians, if we have that question in mind, we can then begin the process of moving toward those qualities and not wrestle with the distress of discipline. He then suggests that we think of the person or persons we admire most, and list out the qualities they have that evoke your admiration. Define them carefully. Make sure they are qualities of the person, not things they have or things they can do (in the Be-Do-Have model, make sure that it is “Be” characteristics. With those qualities in mind, the next step is to “…begin to practice them and they will become a part of you.”

“The qualities that you admire and practice, you can make your own.”

Here is where Fr. Mike brings in the importance of habits and brings focus and encouragement on the difficulty of breaking bad and starting healthy habits. Acquiring the qualities you greatly admire comes through developing habits, and habit is developed through patient and committed practice.

Fr. Mike stressed the importance of starting that process immediately because whether we are aware of it or not, we are always in the process of choosing to be a certain kind of person, and those choices eventually become habits. He then phrased a rhetorical question that can be centering: How can I become more ***** this week? This semester? He then stated a phrase that may be a motto for this semester:

“The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken. Start Now!”

Inherent in all of the points Fr. Schmitz makes is the importance of patience and eschewing perfection, and instead focusing on striving for the qualities that will bring you closer to the Lord. He then made the statement that stuck with me when weeding my back yard, and drove me to listen to his sermon again today that embodies the requirement to strive:

“A Disciple is someone who is willing to change their schedule to get closer to Jesus.”

“We walk the path of discipline so we can be a Disciple.”

This maxim will radically change my prayer life – every prayer is a movement to get closer to Jesus. Nothing else is required. Instead of should I pray now or not, I will be asking myself if I want to get closer to Jesus or not. Notice how there is nothing about doing it perfectly, or even well. Nothing about skill, nothing about efficiency, just a willingness to change my schedule. He then stated another Humdinger:

“You are not going to do it perfectly, but you are going to have to do it.”

Fr. Schmitz then suggests meditating on Jesus and developing an awareness of what aspects of his we admire. Once established, write them down and begin practicing them immediately. Avoid the tendency to dismiss this instruction because “it won’t change anything” or does not have an outcome you deem suitable, etc. Remember, the chains of habit are too light to feel until it is too late – and that goes for good and bad habits.

IMPORTANT QUOTES FROM THE SERMON:

*Discipline is not the point – It is the Path.

*Potential without discipline is potential wasted.

*Who do I want to be and what do I want to be true about myself?

*The qualities that you admire and practice, you can make your own.

*The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.

*A Disciple is someone who is willing to change their schedule to get closer to Jesus.

*Begin, or Begin Again!

*We walk the path of discipline so that we can be a Disciple.

*You are not going to do it perfectly, but you are going to have to do it.