Look for the lessons in it

Hebrews 12: 5-6

And you have forgotten then that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons.  My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. NIV

I’m back in Hebrews 12.  Twice in this chapter, the writer says, “don’t lose heart.”

In these verses, he’s putting God’s discipline in perspective, “My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either.  It’s the child he loves that he disciplines, the child he embraces, he also corrects.” MSG

Don’t shrug it off … but don’t be crushed by it either … that’s a delicate balance, especially for a worrier.

Apparently, this weekend, Rick Warren will be preaching on what pain can teach us.  He says, “You’ll often receive your brightest insights during your darkest days IF you humbly listen to God in quiet trust.”  He goes on to say that the peace that transcends understanding comes from fully trusting God in situations you don’t understand.

“Pain warns you something is wrong,” he says, “Without it, you’d ignore what needs to be fixed in your life.”

That’s a pretty powerful concept, if you keep it in perspective.  I can see that he’s right about the links between physical pain and things being out of whack.

But he goes on to discuss what he calls relational pain, “The greatest relational lessons come from relational pain,” he says.  “Financial lessons from financial pain, health lessons from … etc.”

That’s one I need to ponder.  I can absolutely see the connections between his point and these verses.  This has me wondering. What lessons should I be learning?  What is it that God is trying to teach me?

That’s what I’ll think about today.