You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children:
My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when reproved by him;
The Lord permits his children to undergo trials in order that they be made perfect. Not even Jesus was exempt since he was made "perfect through suffering" (see Hebrews 2:10). This was not some isolated instance because Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith, the perfect example of how we ought to live and the source of strength to live it out. He demonstrated how to respond to suffering and opposition with a perfect and unwavering trust in his Father, knowing that what he endured in his human nature would open the door for our own human nature to be reshaped and perfected. We still very much need this perfection he came to provide. And suffering, rightly considered, can be precisely the place where we receive the training and disciple to attain it.
for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges.
Those of us seeking to follow Jesus are challenged to believe that even the suffering we face is something God desires to use for our good. When we actually experience suffering we tend to perceive just the opposite and feel as though God has abandoned us, as though he isn't even aware of our troubles. But what we should see instead is that even the trials we face have been personalized so that, through them, we can grow as faithful sons and daughters. As Paul taught, everything, even difficult things, works together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose (see Romans 8:28).
Endure your trials as “discipline”;
God treats you as his sons.
In our trials we can actually experience a deep intimacy with God, provided we see them from the right perspective. Our human temptation is to either became angry and "disdain the discipline of the Lord" or to "lose heart" and give up. But what if we truly have a Father who has ordained every challenge we face precisely because he believes in us, loves us, and desires our good? We are not floundering on our own and abandoned. Rather, like players under a good coach, we are being trained for the race that we are meant to run. And this is not because of some perverse pleasure in disciplining on the part of God, but rather because it is finally for our flourishing.
At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,
yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who are trained by it.
This reminder that God permits and ordains our experiences out of love is meant to strengthen our resolve to respond, to apply ourselves with strength and vigor to the race ahead. With the cloud of witnesses encouraging us, and with God himself as our coach, all of life becomes a training program to ensure that we can reach the goal. When we realize that we are never alone, never abandoned we can feel our drooping hands and weak knees grow strong. What seemed a winding path without a definitive destination becomes the straight path toward the finish line.
Strive for peace with everyone,
and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
The Lord isn't asking the impossible. We have been made holy in baptism and we let that holiness become a reality in our race by remaining united with Jesus himself. This is the divine flame that can fuel our race. Enduring our trials as sons and daughters united in Christ is what will ultimately allow the fire of this gift to shine in our lives.
A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.
Perhaps the greatest risk that we face when we hear about the discipline of the Lord is that we respond with complacency. We are comfortable where we are and we don't want to be challenged to go further or to do better. This attitude of lukewarmness puts even our ability to finish the race at risk. So, even though we know Jesus, even though he has already done much in our lives, let us hear him still even as he calls us higher.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him,
No comments:
Post a Comment