Discipline is Hard

" You disciplined me,

and I have been disciplined

like an untrained calf.

Restore me, and I will return,

for you, LORD, are my God."

Jeremiah 31:18

Discipline is hard - not only on the receiving end but also the giving end.  Those of us who are parents know this too well.  Just before my Dad would discipline me he would always say, "This is harder on me than it is you."  I didn't believe him until I became a parent and had to discipline my own children. 

Discipline is hard.

As parents, we must discipline our children so that they learn right from wrong.  We discipline our children so they learn that there are consequences to wrong choices.  We discipline our children because a child without discipline will grow into a person of lawlessness, who is spoiled, and self-centered.  We discipline so that our children have right relationships with those in their lives.  We don't like to discipline our children, but we do so because we love them and desire what is best for them.

Like us, our Heavenly Father disciplines His wayward children.  Sometimes His discipline may be directly from His hand, such as when he stirred up foreign nations to attack and capture Israel and Judah because God's people had abandoned Him.  But at other times, He may simply allow us to suffer the consequences of our actions.  He may simply turn away from us and allow us to experience the pain of following our own rebellious will. 

But at the end of the day, the goal of His Righteous Discipline is restoration.  He knows what is best for us more than we do.  And what should our response to His discipline be?  We find the answer in Jeremiah 31:19-20.

"After I returned, I repented;

After I was instructed, I struck

my thigh in grief.

I was ashamed and humiliated

because I bore the disgrace

of my youth.

Isn't Ephraim a precious son to Me,

a delightful child?

I certainly still think about him.

Therefore, My inner being yearns for him;

I will truly have compassion on him.

This is the Lord's declaration"

Jeremiah 31:19-20

No matter our sin, the truth is God still loves us so very much.  His very own INNER BEING YEARNS for YOU!  He thinks about YOU constantly!  Think about it!

What's more, He will have compassion on you no matter how far away you are from him or what you have done!  Like the Father of the prodigal son, God is waiting for our return!  There is no greater love than this!

Return to Christ today!  Experience a love that surpasses all and forgiveness like no other!  Discipline is hard, but we can reboot our lives, starting today anew in Christ!

Grace and peace, friends!

In His Love, Cathy