Is Discipline Old School?
I grew up in the 80’s with the Bobby Knight style of coaching being the example for many to follow. Discipline was synonymous with this style of coaching. I actually like Bobby Knight and believe he is a good man with a genuine heart for young men. I just don’t understand or agree with all of his coaching strategies. I don’t believe his intentions were bad, but at some point, we all have to keep our discipline lined up with the word of God.
My father and grandfather had military backgrounds in the Navy Seals and the National Guard and I still appreciate and value many of the values that were instilled in them by the military. With the good, also came the bad, as foul language, fear tactics, and even getting physical with your soldiers or players was common place and considered necessary to help some overcome the enemy.
In the 80’s, most of our fathers or grandfathers had some experience with the military, so they taught many of us the positive disciplines they had gained from the military such as hard work, be on time, and loyalty. I believe we knew our fathers loved us, so even when they made mistakes while trying to discipline us, we could look past their weaknesses and appreciate their being there. As a result, when coaches used these methodologies, we were not surprised, nor defeated.
My father was tough as nails and taught me the value of hard work, being on time, making good grades, and treating people as I wanted to be treated. Even before my dad found Christ Jesus as his Savior, he never cursed me or put his hands on me in an attempt to make me tough. What he did do was teach me was Godly discipline and while at the same time showing me love. Sometimes it was tough love and discipline with a belt. There were not many hugs or a I’m proud of you son moments, but I never had any doubt Dad loved me and would do anything for me. When I ran into coaches, who felt the need to curse or put their hands on me to push me, I laughed inside as they were not half as tough on me as my father was on me, thus I went farther than most believed possible. Passing up so many other players, who cowered to discipline that took the form of hard work, pressure situations, and intense coaches.
Dad was not perfect, nor am I. My father had it tough as a kid, his father did not return after World War 2. After a very tough childhood, having to deal with his mother’s poor decisions and the men in her life, Dad moved in with his high school coach. Dad could have easily fell into the cycle of anger and poor decisions leaving me without a good father. Instead, my hero, chose to be a great dad, who worked hard daily as a brick layer to provide for me, my mom and my sister. He chose to shelter me from evil and to teach me real discipline and love. He taught me sports and after finding Jesus, he was an awesome example of a Godly man.
Jesus called for us to go into all the world and make disciples, so this concept of discipline is at the heart of God’s plan. My point in this blog is to possibly open your eyes to what I am going to call a systematic perversion by the enemy when it comes to discipline and so many other things in America today. Why are so many in America Hell bent on moving farther and farther away from the incredible discipline that comes from Christian values and Biblical principles?
The problem is always hidden in the human element of sin added to any equation. The most common example is Love. Love never fails. Love and intimacy are a beautiful creation by God meant for marriage between a man and a woman, but through sin and perversion Satan turned it into porn, sex out of marriage, and other evils such as child sex trafficking.
We may not have a military draft resulting in going to war these days, but there is an all-out spiritual war being waged on our kids and our Christian values. If we don’t fight this war, it is only going to get worse for our kids and our grandchildren.
Check out how the enemy has perverted the English language. Let’s take a couple of Jesus best friends for example: John and Peter.
The name John is derived from the Hebrew Yohanan, meaning “graced by God.” It is a solid, traditional name that exudes strength, smarts, and kindness. Origin: John is a biblical name, first appearing in its Hebrew form in OT. John the Baptist and Jesus disciple John who was called the beloved are two of the greatest men in the Bible.
Sadly, if you click on the Cambridge English Dictionary then you see the following meanings of the word John. 1. A toilet. 2. A prostitute’s client.
How about Peter? Originally Peter was named Simon. Jesus himself changed Simon’s name to Peter. Simon in the Hebrew means “listen”, but Jesus rewarded Simon for listening and after Simon was the first to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus renamed him Peter. In the Greek, Peter means rock and Jesus said his church would be built on the rock.
Sadly, if you click on the Merriam Webster Dictionary Link, Peter means to diminish to nothing. If you click on Urban Dictionary, then it is another name for a man’s private parts.
My last point on perversion of the enemy is to ask why people, especially coaches, feel the need for profanity or cursing. Cursing has been around as long as Satan and his demons. How dumb can you be to say swearing and profanity can be good for your health, a sign of honesty, or a sign of intelligence. Believe it or not, there are three studies that say exactly this. Google them yourself.
I try to go by this disciplined approach to life. Ask yourself this before saying or doing something. Does it line up with the Bible and could it possibly remove any favor or anointing that God has on my life? If not, then it is never worth it.
Here are just a few scriptures that address profanity and cursing. Read them then decide for yourself the words you use daily or when coaching.
James scolds his readers for their foul language: “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be!” (James 3:10)
Paul says that obscenities and “coarse joking” are “improper for God’s holy people” (Ephesians 5:4).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus admonished his listeners not to say “raca” to someone (Matthew 5:22). Scholars are divided as to whether “raca” was technically a curse word. However, it was a strong enough insult that, as Jesus noted, a person could be taken to court over using it.
Jesus says in Luke’s gospel: “Out of the overflow of a man’s heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).
“Now is the time to cast off and throw away all these rotten garments of anger, hatred, cursing, and dirty language.” — Colossians 3:8, The Living Bible