Divine Discipline…

“For the Lord disciplines those he loves…it is for discipline that you have to endure…he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.  For the moment, all discipline seems painful…[but] later it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12: 6-7,10-11 RSV)

When my son was young and had misbehaved, I sometimes asked him what consequences I should impose for his rule infraction: “What do you think would help you remember not to do that again?”.  It was important to both of us that he learned something from whatever we agreed upon.  Surprisingly, sometimes the consequences he chose were even more stringent than what I had been considering!  

What about me?  What consequences of my own sin – my failure to “hit the mark” of holiness – will help me to remember not to repeat my sinful, selfish, self-focused choices? 

God knows, for he is the perfect parent.  He knows what I need to learn as I am being molded to be conformed to the image of his Son.  I might ask “why?” at times, especially when I am greatly suffering.  But if I recognize that I am the one who is actually responsible for it, it is easier to bear because I glimpse the Father’s loving purpose operating in the situation. 

But what happens when my suffering is entirely not my fault, when it’s caused by other people’s sinful actions, or from a random disease or disability or a natural disaster which is no one’s “fault”?   At those times I might have questions – lots of them.  I might be tempted to blame God or become angry or resentful.  How do I avoid that?  How do I manage these difficulties in a way that facilitates my spiritual growth?  This might be the hardest lesson I must learn in this school of love.

Here’s a challenging concept to consider: mortification.  The word comes from a Latin root which has to do with death.  In a spiritual sense, it is bringing to death in me those things which are rivals to my desire for and commitment to God;  those things which distract me or substitute for God.  Jesus himself said that I need to “take up my cross and follow” him if I am to be his disciple.  A disciple is a serious pupil; she has developed discipline in her studies and has learned to do hard tasks and to emulate her Teacher who knows more than she does.

If I consider the cross of Jesus, I see clearly that he himself wasn’t the cause of his suffering:  you and I were by our rebellion and sin.  So when I am confronted by the suffering caused by another’s sin – suffering which God has allowed (not caused) into my life by his wise and loving providence – I have an unwelcome opportunity to “pick up my cross and follow“ after him. 

If and when I – purely out of love for Jesus – consent to bear this suffering without resentment and with gratitude for his great sacrifice, I am supernaturally united with Jesus.  Being part of his Body, I join with him in his mission to redeem the whole world.  The Holy Spirit gives me his strength and begins to form in me his mind and heart instead of my own limited and distorted ones. 

My Heavenly Father knows exactly what experiences I require if I am truly to be transformed and made a new creature.  My ultimate challenge is as always to grow in my ability to trust his wisdom rather than my own and experience the all-sufficiency of his love.