He who neglects discipline despises himself, but he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. Proverbs 15:32

During my recent drive to New England and back, I was rounding a curve in the road using the passing lane.  A semi in the right lane put on their turn signal and proceeded to cut me off.  I was a bit irritated until a few moments later I saw that there was another vehicle in the breakdown lane.  The curve in the road blocked our view until the last moment.  The vision of the car seemed to be God’s way of adjusting my attitude about the driving of others.  Granted, I was a bit road weary and tired of being cut off by vehicles significantly exceeding the average speed of traffic.  However, in this case, I had made assumptions with limited information and errantly responded accordingly.

Discipline, rebuke, correction, constructive criticism, punishment, etc. are words that usually make us uncomfortable because the remind us of our fallibility and sinful nature.  Another challenge is that the person seeking to change our behavior is also fallible.   Consequently, the nature of our relationship usually determines how well we listen and whether or not we modify our conduct.  How we respond will also have an impact on that relationship.  The same is true of our bond with our Heavenly Father.  When He chooses to discipline us, we need to refrain from judgments about His goodness and love that undermine our relationship as we have very limited information.  Rather we ought to accept His guidance gladly by focusing on His motivation, goal and character.

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Listen, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.  Proverbs 23:19

I have just returned from a trip that included driving 2,000 miles.  I was a bit apprehensive about the traveling that far alone as I didn’t really feel well.  This was compounded by the fact that recently Satan seems to be raising many doubts and fears.  However, as I look back, not only did God sustain and protect me, but He was also speaking to me.  Throughout the trip, He was working to reshape my thinking through instruction, discipline and reassurance.  The elements were all there, I just had to listen.  Most certainly I heard and understood the messages provided through the sermons that I listened to while driving; however, it took a near accident at the end of the trip to really get me to notice how much God had been speaking to me throughout my travels.  Honestly, I’m not sure I have gotten it all, however, over the next three posts I’d like to share how God used each of these to mature me in my faith.

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“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.”  Hebrews 12:5-6

Life can seem to be trying and wearisome at times.  This summer is the third summer in a row that my wife has had to use crutches due to injury.   My own health issues have been more challenging this year.  I have added two new specialists to my list of doctors and will likely add a third by the end of the year.  And yet, despite our struggles and their related frustration and fatigue, we consider ourselves quite fortunate having learned over time that:  our situation could be much worse; our trials are truly “light and momentary”; and God is faithful to sustain us.  It doesn’t make the endurance an easy thing, but it does encourage us and provide a healthier perspective than our culture offers.  With this understanding, we further recognize that the discipline and sustaining grace of God is infinitely better than being neglected.

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“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  Philippians 2:5-8

Two years ago we put down what we thought would be our last pet.  We had decided that we couldn’t take having to say goodbye to another beloved dog; further, the freedom the lack of pets would afford seemed beneficial.  That plan began to erode when our younger daughter’s family rescued a shih tzu last fall.  I liked the dog so much that our grandsons regularly reminded me that Leo was their dog and he had to go home with them.  As a result we adopted Tiffany in December.  She is mostly a sweet and somewhat timid dog, but as she is part terrier, she has an aggressive side as well.  In fact, her outbursts of aggression are the primary reason that she ended up back at the humane society after roughly seven months with another couple.  While she has historically been fine with all others, she has a tendency to snarl at her owners when she doesn’t want to be disturbed.  This is her greatest weakness and the ultimate manifestation of her animal instincts.  The difference in her owners is that the first family quickly gave up, but we have enrolled her in obedience school and are working with her to make her a good companion.  The goal is to teach her to submit to us in all ways for her safety and well-being as well as to provide more peaceful lifestyle for us all.   While none of us likes to be compared to an animal, the fact remains that as Christians we are all like Tiffany in varying degrees.  We have this sinful nature that urges us to follow our “animal instincts” rather than to humbly submit to God.  Left unchecked, it separates us from God.  Consequently, the process of sanctification is in reality obedience school in which we learn to give up control and submit to our Savior, our Master, our Lord and our God.

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Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.  Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established.  Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil.  Proverbs 4:25-27

I’ve been on the road the last couple of days.  While I basically know my route, I haven’t driven it enough nor have I driven the area my mother-in-law lives in often enough to navigate without a bit of effort.  Heading home, I needed to take route 95 south to the toll road.  The last time I left, I went north to toward the beach instead of south toward our home.  This time I had a series of wrong turns that cost me some time and took me into the heart of Boston which is not a particularly easy drive.  Even though I knew where to go, in the moment that I should have turned, I only saw half of the signage that reported the northern part of the route and chose not to turn as I didn’t want to repeat my last mistake.  I wasn’t terribly worried as the next road would take me to route 1 south which was the reverse of how I had come on the trip north.  What I didn’t know was that getting from route 1 south to 95 south was not as easy as going north.  Consequently, I missed another opportunity to take the correct path.  I had another chance to get back on track, but because I was totally ignorant of the path, the signage and the lane changes, I missed it as well despite using GPS.  Finally, by following the instructions that GPS was providing and being able to see on the map what I was to do, I got back on track.  I lost about 45 minutes in time, but I was finally where I needed to be.  As I reflected on my errors, I couldn’t help but see the parallel in our spiritual lives.

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“For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.”  Ephesians 5:8

When I’m up to it and the weather is nice, I like to ride my bike to the gym.  Today was one of those days.  I didn’t expect it to be warm enough, but the sun was shining which made the air pleasant.  I had dressed for cooler weather, so I became a little warm as I rode.  While at the gym, I was concerned that I might get too warm on the way home.  However, while I was there, a heavy cloud cover rolled in and the ride home was actually a little cooler than I like.  What a difference a little sunshine can make and what a difference various forms of light make in our lives.

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“I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.”  Psalm 40:8

Sunday morning I was reading Psalm 40 and verse eight jumped out at me.  It says:  “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.”  I had to ask myself if doing God’s will was truly my delight or if I have allowed distractions to keep me from true joy.  Not only that, but the word delight has been on my mind since then.  It’s not a word that I hear a lot these days.  When I looked up the definition, the definitions of both the verb and the known had a modifier.  It doesn’t mean to please or pleasure, but it said “to please greatly” or “great pleasure”.  Merriam-Webster adds that an archaic definition is “the power of affording pleasure”.

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 “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  James 4:17

For those of us who live with chronic illness and/or pain, it’s often a real balancing act trying to figure out what we can or should do and what we need to avoid.  We must be careful not to exacerbate our problems by being reckless, but we don’t want to stop living either.  Unfortunately, too many times, it’s easy to avoid doing something we are called to by saying that we don’t feel up to it.  However, this isn’t just about our illness.  It goes much deeper to our attitude and what’s important to us.  Whether we are ill or not, we all face life’s challenges, physical limitations and mood swings.  Too often we find an excuse not to do something and that’s what James is referring to in this passage.  Today is one of those days for me.  I need to write to be faithful to God’s calling, but I don’t feel like rising to the occasion.  Between the weather changing and traveling over the weekend, my body has been crashing and I’m just worn out.  It’s not that I am unable to write, I would just rather not do anything…and there’s the rub.  I’m able but would rather not.  To write will not threaten my wellbeing or overall health so there really is no risk.  So here I am, writing, because it is the right thing to do.   In that light, let’s consider overcoming laziness, using discernment, facing risk, and looking for strength.

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You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness    2 Peter 3:17

I was blessed with a mother and maternal grandparents who had very strong convictions about not letting people and circumstances move them from what their ethics and beliefs dictated.

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Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  James 1:2-3

I’m glad James used the plural version.  Illness isn’t just one trial; it’s a complex series of trials.  The base line is the illness itself, the side effects of the required medications or the residual symptoms created by a treatment.  Another layer is the endless stream of necessary procedures, or the “random” infection the pops up at a most inconvenient time.  Let’s not forget equipment errors, like dislodging your PICC line an hour before you’re supposed to renew your wedding vows because you were in hurry when you flushed the line.  The social layer is no small thing.  People often don’t understand why you have to cancel plans; why you’re so quiet when you’re just trying to keep it together; or the avoidance techniques you have to develop to sidestep that well intentioned bear hug aimed at the new scar or implant.  And then there are the related social pressures of the well-meaning but misguided to have a better attitude, more faith or resolve that unconfessed sin.  Even the general population weighs in like the TSA agent that gets irritated that you refuse to put your TPN bag on the conveyer despite showing them the IV going into your arm or the person who questions the validity of you using a handicapped space because you don’t have a wheelchair.  Finally, there’s what goes on in your mind in the middle of the night or when your situations seems unbearable: complete terror, doubting God’s goodness and your faith, questioning you’re ability to endure, or worrying about the impact on those you love.  I could go on, but I’ll stop there.  Besides, you have your own set of trials and understand the problem all too vividly.  So yes, James is correct to say trials; but why are we to be joyful?

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