Ouch! That Really Hurts!

Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best.  Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.  But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline; don't sulk under his loving correction.  It's the child he loves that God corrects; a father's delight is behind all this.  (Proverbs 3:9-12, The Message)

Life is full of painful lessons.  Some are REALLY painful, like the ones I am learning right now.  Notice I said "ones."  That's because I am going through a season of chastening in which God is teaching me a few things about money, parenting, and my own character. 



The third chapter of Proverbs mentions chastening (the word used in the New King James Version).  Some translations render it discipline," which sounds a little easier to take perhaps, but hurts just the same.  Dictionary.com gives the following definition for the word chasten:  "subdue:".  From what I can tell, that is a pretty accurate description of my present circumstances.






But notice the last portion of the passage above.  "It's the child he loves that GOD corrects; a father's delight is behind all this."  Really?  I mean I know that God loves me, but could he really be behind the recent loss of my husband's job and the ongoing relationship issues we are having with our rebellious teenager?  Perhaps God has not directly caused these problems, but certainly I believe he has allowed them to teach us better financial stewardship, trust in his provision, and to mold in us a more Christlike character as we deal with our son's rebellious heart.  As difficult and painful as our present circumstances are, we can endure them knowing that God loves us and that this is all part of his best plan for our lives.



Maybe you are going through a trial of your own right now.  Do you know that God loves you so much that he is willing to allow suffering in order to build in you the ability and desire to trust him?  He doesn't waste heartache.  Whatever you are going through right now can and probably will be used by him to encourage someone else down the road. 


The more we resist God's chastening, the longer it will take for chastening to have its desired effect of making us more Christlike.  Jesus "opened not his mouth" as he was being chastened by those determined to strip him of his life and ministry, yet his message of love and sacrifice were clearly communicated to those who witnessed his ability to endure the suffering through the power of God in him.  Can we not do the same?  Can we suffer in such a way that others see the power of God at work in us?



Copyright © 2012 by Dee Dee
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