self control: boot camp

I’m relieved it’s Peter who speaks the most pointedly about self control.  Peter who flails in the lake after impulsively walking to Jesus on the water.  Peter who grabs a sword and cuts off the ear of the high priest.  Peter who refuses to let Jesus wash his feet and then in the next moment insists Jesus wash his whole body.  Peter who denies being a follower of Jesus –three times in a row.  Not the poster child for self control.  Yet he becomes the rock Jesus uses to build the church on.  Speak to me, Peter.

“Make every effort to add to your faith…self control”  (2 Peter 1:5, 6).  Words from someone who had more effort to make than most.

Matt introduced boot camp to our family several years ago when he hit his 30s and all of a sudden had waist hanging over his belt.  Determined to get in shape, he mandated on himself a month-long boot camp in which he was going to work out every day, except Sunday, without fail.  He did it, and he lost a bunch of weight and looked hot!  (Can a pastor’s wife say that?) 

Since then I’ve enrolled myself in two personal boot camps.  One was to floss.  Tired of hanging my head in shame in front of the dental hygienist every six months, I determined never again to say to her, “No, I haven’t been flossing.”  One month later I was a flosser forever.  The next boot camp was two Januarys ago, when Matt and I decided to go all cash.  I made my boot camp public on Facebook and wrote daily posts about what it was like to go from debit cards to using cash.  Two years later we live in a cash society in this house.

This year it’s dishes.  I’ve lived for 20 years on the philosophy that no dish should be washed on the day it got dirty, but I’ve decided to change that, Lord willing.  So for the next 30 days I’m doing boot camp –I shall not go to bed with a dirty kitchen (and I informed my teenage son that means even if he has to do the dishes I’m determined to meet this goal!)  I’ve challenged my entire family to boot camp with me, so we’re making a game of it this month.  Each person in the family has chosen his own goal, and we’ll have fun hounding each other about it.

 Wanna play?  Determine a boot camp goal and comment about it below –would love to hear one place in which you’re willing to make every effort to gain self control.