I never thought much about parking lot lines. They are just there and I use them. But if you think about it a bit, these lines feel pretty restrictive at times, don’t they? Who are they (whoever “they” are) to tell me where I should park my car? Isn’t the car mine? And did I not pay to park it? So, come on, give me some leeway…
On the other hand, these line can be pretty useful–they guide me into a spot I choose, and if I am off, I can tell because a part of the car is on the line rather than between the lines as it ought to be.
I get pretty frustrated when someone’s car is parked half-way into the next spot–what am I supposed to do now? My car is small, but come on… there are limits!
Parking lot lines… gotta love them. Gotta hate them.
Can you imagine parking lots all over the city with no lines at all? The entire city would be in total chaos within minutes every single morning. Inefficient. Messy. Complicated. Making drivers unable to get out. Making drivers stuck and frustrated. Losing valuable time. Affecting surgery schedules, and lawsuits, and schools…
Discipline in my life is a bit like those lines in a parking lot. No, actually, discipline in my life is a lot like those lines in a parking lot.
As much as I may resent it at times, discipline actually gives me freedom to be who I am, to grow into who I am meant to be, to live fully. Without discipline, I wind up late for appointments, unable to fulfill my commitments, frustrated, stuck. My life becomes chaotic. I am late for my life. I actually miss out on my life.
In this later season of my life, I am beginning to understand that freedom does not at all mean that I can do whatever, whenever. Freedom is what happens when I build the house of my life by the rules of construction, with the right tools, those that that do the job–not the cute little ones I may be attracted to.
And my future? It is found as I yield to The Builder. There is no magic in life. And it is very good.
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