Treated As Sons

Today's Reading: Hebrews 12:5-11

No one likes to be disciplined. But it is a part of life. If you love the person you are disciplining as God loves us, they will eventually understand...hopefully. If discipline is looked at a protection for the love you have for that individual rather than as a rule, it is much easier to accept and submit to (but that is a hard lesson for us to learn).

As mothers and fathers, we discipline our children to keep them safe from harm and so they learn the rules of a household or for life in general. No matter where you are in life, there are always disciplines you have to adhere to...whether it is from God, your family, a teacher, or a boss.

Some disciplines are harder than others. Not just on the person being disciplined but also on the ones having to stand steadfast. If the discipline is done in a loving but firm manner, it can help the person learn a life lesson and understand why the discipline is being given. It usually teaches in a way that will be remembered longer and more positively, like tough love.

When my husband and I had to stand firm with our granddaughter and tell her she could not bring her newborn twins to our home when released from the hospital, she thought we would change our minds in time. When she saw that we were standing together and were firm in the where we knew the spirit of God was leading us, she became very angry. Now that time has passed, she has seen how this was the best thing we could have ever done for her and the twins. It was helpful to all of us to know the adoptive family and the life they would be given, not only in this life but more importantly in the life they would gain from being raised in a home where God is the center of everything. We were interacting with the twins on a daily basis while they were in the NICU (Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit) because we knew they needed the bonding, attention and love in order to thrive until their forever family could be with them. We wanted the twins to know they were loved and to feel some of the love God has for them through us. This made the discipline for our granddaughter just as hard on us as it was for her.

Our biggest comfort was leaning on God, growing closer to Him, and seeing Him work every day in ways that we had never seen before. God's discipline and love was shown by the peace we gained knowing that we were disciplining our granddaughter in the way He would want, by the prayers that were offered for everyone concerned, and through the support that we received from our church family.

- Cynthia Monk