On my mind today…

And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.  Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!  Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. —Hebrews 12:5-11
A couple things struck me about this today.  The first is that it is described as a “word of encouragement” that we are disciplined by the Lord.  I guess maybe I am stuck a little bit in the 5-year old mentality, but I don’t naturally feel encouraged when I experience the Lord’s discipline and punishment.  I tend to wonder if I have messed up beyond hope.  I think that God must be so disappointed in me…and sometimes, rather than seeing the discipline for what it is, I mistake it for God abandoning me to my own devices because He just doesn’t care to deal with me any more.  The reality, though, is just the opposite.  He loves me.  I am His child.  Discipline shows His faithfulness to me.  And in that light, it is truly encouraging.

I thought about hardship as discipline, and discipline as a necessary component to the lives of God’s children.  While I do usually equate hardship with discipline, I often take it to mean I have failed in some huge way and that things aren’t going well for me because I didn’t do everything right.  And I suppose, on some very general level, that might be true.  Without sin in my life, things would probably be a lot easier, but I think the bigger picture here is that God is using the hardship to refine and make me better, not to make me miss out on something because I messed up…and that it is the life that lacks hardship and discipline that should be cause for concern.

And I thought about the statement that “no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful”.  See, sometimes, I think that “if my faith was stronger”, discipline would just roll off my back – that I would recognize it for what it is, learn my lesson and move on with relative ease.  But no.  It is painful.  Chances are, I won’t like it.  But, later on, I will benefit from it.  Some day, I will see the good God has worked through discipline in me.  And that’s the perspective that gives me hope in the midst of trial – trusting in God’s faithfulness and ability to see beyond my present circumstance…and knowing that it’s okay that it’s sometimes hard.