Scripture: Hebrews 12:11
No discipline is fun while it lasts, but it seems painful at the time. Later, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.
Thought for the Day: Let’s be perfectly honest – no one likes being corrected. In fact, the initial reaction of most people is defensiveness and even anger. We see it happen all the time, and too often it leaves people more stuck in their wrongness as they dig in their heels. Joy should always be close at hand when discovery and the unveiling of new perspectives are brought before a person of faith. Discovering new things, including things about ourselves, should be viewed as a gift from God. This doesn’t mean that discipline (Paideia = training or instruction) won’t push and twist our current convictions and leave us feeling a bit injured. The author of Hebrews is talking about God who disciplines/trains/instructs us for our benefit. Just because there is discomfort does not mean it is wrong or ungodly or evil. We remain a work in progress until our last breath, and so automatically pushing back doesn’t mean God is going to allow your pushback to be the end of the class session. God is a persistent teacher.
Prayer: As I learn something new, especially those experiences that cause discomfort, I might push back. Please provide me, O Wonderful God, a bit of your graciousness so that I can allow the change that is needed to be the change that is at work within me. Amen.
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