Only one leg to stand on

About once each half term I am invited to lead an assembly in one of our local schools.  Although it is a pleasure to do so, and the children in the school are really well behaved and attentive, I generally find the experience a little bit daunting.  Being in the position of having to talk to a hall full of schoolchildren is something slightly out of my comfort zone, not least because I am aware that I have to try and communicate in a way which speaks to the children.

The school where I take the assemblies has a theme of the week, and the intention is that the assembly should link in which the given theme.  Sometimes it's fairly easy to create an assembly on the given theme, on other occasions it can be a bit of a struggle.  The school theme for this week was "Self discipline."  I did wonder at one point whether I should illustrate the result of not being self-disciplined by turning up late to assembly, but ultimately I didn't go with that idea!

I quoted a few famous people on the theme.  For example, Leicester City hero Jamie Vardy, explaining his own phenomenal rise to fame and fortune, has stated, "The secret's just lots and lots of hard work."  I know from my own experience as a football chaplain that however skilfull a player may be, unless they have the commitment and dedication to the hard work of training (i.e. self-discipline), they will never reach their full potential.  

Edmund Hillary, the first person to conquer Everest (one boy thought it might have been Bear Grylls!) said, "It's not the mountain that we conquer but ourselves."  That inner determination is such a vital part of life.  As the Bible says, 'A person without self-discipline is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out.' (Proverbs 25.28).

Of course, the children like to get involved rather than just listen to me, so I invited 6 of them to come out to the front and try to stand on one leg for 30 seconds.  Perhaps not surprisingly, they all managed the task with ease.  I then asked them to repeat the feat, but this time with their eyes closed. Within a few seconds they were struggling (one boy fell over after a couple of seconds).  Only one of the children managed the full 30 seconds without putting their second leg down (I'm not sure that you should try it at home!)  I informed the children that the word record for the longest period standing on one leg is (apparently) over 76 hours, and that must have taken a heck of a lot of self-discipline.

The final Biblical quote I had was from Matthew's gospel (24.13), where Jesus says, 'Staying with it to the end - that's what God requires.  Stay with it to the end.'  The life of following Jesus, just like life itself, can be very tough at times.  Self-discipline plays a huge part in carrying on through the tough times, and fulfilling the calling of Jesus on our lives.  Resisting temptation can be a real struggle, and is impossible without some self-discipline.  But of course, the message of the Gospel is that ultimately self-discipline and self-effort are not enough.  Indeed, it is only when we admit that our own efforts are inadequate, that we truly recognise our need of God's help.

Self discipline is important, but even that is not enough without God's help.  Perhaps trying to succeed with self-discipline alone is like trying to live life standing only on one leg!