Discipline
“When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded
by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.” 2 Sam 7:14
I once soiled a new shirt at school and the fear of being scorned by my mother gripped me for
an entire day. I don’t remember what actually transpired when my mother found
out, but the dread of being punished seems to be quite fresh up to this day.
My dad had a bad temper and he yelled very loudly when he got mad, but it was thunder
without rain most of the time. I have never been spanked, as far as I can remember.
The worst punishment I ever received as a boy was kneeling down for an hour or
so when my grandmother took me back from running away for an entire week. My
heart was filled with apprehension during the long bus ride home, not knowing
what severe discipline I would receive when I arrived at home, but to my great
surprise and relief, the punishment didn’t seem to fit the crime at all. I, in
fact, got by rather easily for causing such unthinkable heartache to my
parents. I suppose they were just overjoyed that I was found and brought home
safely.
The fear of being punished is often worse than the punishment itself.
Most of us have total confidence in our parents’ love for us and, even after we do
something horrible, we know they will never punish us beyond what we can bear.
We know we will always come out safe and sound. However, we don’t seem to feel
the same way with God’s discipline. We dread that we will be completely crushed
if God ever lays his hand on us after we sin against him. Our heavenly Father
seems to be so much more unpredictable than our earthly parents, and he evokes
great fear within our hearts. Therefore, some of us may be leading our lives in
constant dread, fearing that God intends to bring us to our knees by exacting
severe punishment on us for certain things we have done.
He will not spare us if he didn’t spare his only son from suffering. Don’t we all have this
morbid thought from time to time which robs us of our joy as God’s children?
Indeed we have read so much about how suffering brings us back to Christ and how immensely
people grow spiritually after they have gone through severe trials, as if the
only key to spiritual maturity is trial and tribulation. We do want to grow
spiritually, but dread the method by which we can achieve that end. O let me be
shallow so that we can be spared from sorrow, we cry out.
Up this point in my life, I haven’t been disciplined by my heavenly Father physically, for
which I am extremely thankful, for the Lord seemed to know what I could bear.
However, I have endured much emotional agony in the past, which might have been
God’s punishment for all my wrongdoings or spiritual failures. I guess whatever
he measures out for us is in perfect proportion with what we can endure when we
are in need of discipline.