April 3, 2024: God Corrects Me Because He Loves Me

”My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.“ -Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Do you remember moments when you were younger or even now when you would find yourself in trouble? Or maybe you do something that disappoints someone because the way that you responded was not reflective of your character. If you grew up like I did, there was a part of the conversation that went “I am doing this because I love you.” Losing privileges or the discipline at the time didn’t seem like love. It was torture for a mistake. As I grew older, I realized that behavior or action was not something that I desired to anymore because I remembered not only the consequences but the feelings attached. The feelings of letting someone else down. The disappointment in the eyes of those who expected better from me.

Those same words now come out of my mouth. “If I didn’t think you were capable of doing better, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Discipline or correction happens not out of hate, revenge, or retribution. It happens because you love them and don’t want them to fall in the wrong direction. You want them to be the best version of themselves that they were created to be.

Just as we want our children to be the best versions of themselves, God wants us to be the best version of ourselves as well. If we go against His will, He doesn’t just let it slide. He provides correction for our lives to bring us back on the right road. God loves us enough to correct us when we are wrong. If He loved us enough to send His Son to die on the cross for our sins, He will do whatever is necessary to make sure we stay on track. The Lord disciplines those He loves. And if God has ever had to have a conversation with you, just know it’s all love.

There is a saying that we use in coaching sometimes. If I stop talking to you, then you should be worried. That means that whatever happens to you, happens. You’ve made enough mistakes and done it wrong too many times for someone to spend the effort to correct it. Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t give up on us?