Chastening Is A Form Of Love

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:  For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

Proverbs 3:11-12

Growing up I believe that I was whipped more than I was congratulated… I believe that the scars and welts on my backside far outnumbered the hugs for a job well done… This is not to suggest that I endured an abusive childhood (which I did not), but this is just to set the foundation of how bad and rebellious I was growing up and how love takes different forms. With that being said I look back on my childhood and thank my parents for correcting me back then, instead of allowing me to suffer the consequences of my actions now… When a parent loves a child, correction is a form of throwing a lifeline before it’s too late… There is nothing worse in life than to lose the support of your parents… I can recall a time in my life when I was all about fitting the image and being amongst my friends… School was nothing to me and my grades showed that. I can remember a time when I received my report card and it seemed as if my parents would have been proud just to see a “C” on the paper. There is one time in particular when my actions actually sunk in, my father looked at my report card and said, “If this is what you have decided that you want to be and do, fine…” I realized at that point that my father wasn’t going to beat me, he wasn’t going to ground me, but that he simply had come to the realization that his love to see me prosper was completely poured out. I could feel the disappointment, but more importantly, I could feel the separation… The book of Proverbs teaches us today that discipline is love, not that your parents love to beat you, but that they love you enough to try and get you on the right path and course. God demonstrated in love for the Israelites every time they were in captivity, He demonstrated His love when Job lost everything, Daniel was in the Lion’s Den, David was pursued by Saul, Joseph was sold to slavery and Paul was blind and in the desert… Love takes many forms, sometimes it's shown through tears or periods of discomfort, but just know that love always brings forth growth and a positive outcome.

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!