Why is Correction So Hard to Take Since it is So Good For You??

 

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,     and do not lose heart   when he rebukes you, ⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,     and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”^[a]

⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.   For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline —then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits   and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace   for those who have been trained by it.”  Hebrews 12:6-11  NIV

Why is correction so hard to take?  I have never liked it!!  To this day, I try to almost be perfect at times just because I hate confrontation and getting “in trouble”!  Now you know why my doctor wonders about my heart!  Seriously though, I really don’t like confrontation and having to be corrected! When man corrects you, it isn’t always so gentle.  When God corrects you it is gentle, even though not pleasurable, but brings great peace and joy when the correction brings obedience!  Why do we ever fight that? One day I was being corrected by God over something and I could feel my feelings getting hurt.  Tears welled in my eyes and I was greatly disappointed in myself.  The Lord spoke to me as I began to have this reaction and what He said astounded me.  God said, “Juliana, why do you take My correction as an insult or something that is degrading to you as a person?  When I correct you it is not to put you down, but I do it in order to promote you to the next level of My glory in Me!”  I had never thought of it that way!  Correction is PROMOTION???  Suddenly, correction was almost something I looked forward to!  “What else do you need to deal with me about, Father?”, was my excited response!

Who does not like promotion?  Think about promotion for a moment.  When you are promoted in the natural it comes with more benefits, prosperity,   authority, and respect.  It is something that you CELEBRATE!  It is something others that love you celebrate!  Why?  Because you have “moved up”!

Correction, albeit not always a happy experience, is a necessary one.  It makes you a healthier, more effective child of God.  One time when I was little I had a severe throat  infection.  My doctor prescribed erythromycin as the antibiotic to treat it.  This was back in the day before they had bubble gum, cotton candy, and all the other delicious flavors they give kids now to get their medicine down them!  My mother would call me into the kitchen and give me this horrible tasting medicine, which when I chewed it I literally had to fight throwing it back up.  So sorry, my dear reader, but I don’t know how else to tell you just how bad it was!  I was around five years old and I decided I had to do something and do it fast!  I could not “stomach” this horrible mess!!  In our bathroom my father had put down some carpet but had not nailed the edges down yet.  One day as I was in there, I noticed they lifted up.  I began to hatch a plan.  If I flushed the toilet, Momma would know I had flushed the pill!  No, that wouldn’t work.  But, Momma NEVER looked under those loose edges…or so I thought!  She would call me, I would act delighted to take the pill that tasted worse than anything you could possibly imagine from her hand, and happily skip to my “room” to joyfully swallow it.  If I acted happy about taking it she wouldn’t be suspicious I thought!  Instead of going to my room, I made a fast detour to the bathroom, lifted the rug up and put the pill under the rug where it could not be detected!  Oh, all was happy in my world again.  That is until one day when I heard my mother scream my first, middle and last name!  That was always a very, very bad sign!!!  It was enough for your blood to run cold in your veins!!  This was back when kids got spankings and the fear of God was put into them by their parents!  I began to really tremble when I realized the screaming of my full given name was coming from THE BATHROOM!!!  When I walked in my mother, who didn’t look happy AT ALL, peeled back the carpet and asked (like she didn’t know!) “What is this?”  In a very neat row was about seven pink erythromycin chewable throw up tablets!!  I had no response!  I was dumbfounded with the emphasis on dumb!!  Oh, why didn’t I think to flush them later???  I have never been sneaky!  I always got caught, so it just was not worth it!  “I wondered why you weren’t getting well!”  she said with her hands on her hips.  Sorrowfully, precious reader her hands didn’t stay on her hips! But, joyfully the doctor gave an antibiotic my taste buds could tolerate much better after that!  Correction is like medicine.  The sooner you take it the quicker it is over and the better off you will be!

Don’t let the devil make you feel like worm dirt when correction comes!  Thank God for it because you are going higher in the Spirit!  God is preparing to use you in ways you have dreamed!  The vision is one step closer.  No wonder it says in one translation great joy follows God’s chastening!

Blessings to you, my precious reader!  See you next time!