God is With You

Have you ever made a mistake in life and been disciplined for it?  As a kid I remember fighting with my sister.  My dad put us each in opposite corners of the room to wait for the bus (it was before school).  It was the only time I remember being punished by my dad (a look or word was usually enough).  I have no idea what the fight was about, but I remember that corner and the regret I felt for fighting with my sister and disappointing my dad.  I also remember not wanting to be in that corner because there was a spider crawling up the wall!    I also received a detention in high school, for reading… while the teacher was going over an Algebra test… he also took my book away… my mom’s book.  I took my punishment, I knew it was fair, I apologized and mom’s book was returned to me.  I never read in Algebra class again… in fact it was the only class I did not read for fun in until college.  We do things wrong, and if they love us, our parents or teachers or authority figures discipline us, not to be mean, but to help us learn right from wrong.  God does the same thing.

Revelation 3:19 

I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

Hebrews 12:6

For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child."

Sometimes it hurts.  It goes back to the phrase “you made your bed, now you have to lay in it”.  A lot of our miseries are direct results of our own mistakes.  God probably doesn’t have to actively discipline a lot because he can let us deal with our messes.  But he is always there to love and support us through all we must go through, all the lessons we must learn.  He is a loving parent, a loving teacher, a loving guide who doesn’t just throw us out to get through things on our own.  He is always present, always there to love and support.  All we have to do is turn to him.

I want you to ponder something for a bit…  Sometimes the things we go through hurt… a lot.  But, if the hurt is meant to save us from a worse fate, isn’t it worth it?  If the hurt we experience is turning us away from a path to hell, isn’t it worth it?  Think of it this way.  If your child or loved one is about to get ran over by a bus, you would charge out there and slam your whole body into that person, plowing into them and knocking you both to the ground to save their life, right?  Your child and you may be hurt, they may have pain, road rash, and broken bones from the impact and fall… but they are alive.  The pain is a better alternative than death.  Remember that when learning a particularly grueling lesson, the pain is a better alternative than death…

James 1:2-4

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.