Read: Hebrews 12:3-17
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (v. 11)
As the mom of two children, discipline has been a big part of my life. Like all parents, I’ve struggled through a lot of trial and error. It was painful for my children to suffer some tough consequences from their actions, and it was painful for me to see them struggle with the discipline they needed. Still, every lesson we learn shapes our futures.
In Hebrews 12:5-11, we find a window into God’s purpose in our suffering: discipline. The reality is that children need loving, consistent, patient, and appropriate parenting if they’re going to grow into maturity. Today’s passage clarifies how we cannot understand the goodness of discipline if we do not consider the future. In the present, “all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant” (v. 11). However, just as earthly discipline produces maturity and equips us to do well, spiritual discipline from God later “yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (v. 11).
Your suffering has purpose. It is part of God’s discipline in your life to shape you and make you into who he wants you to be. That means you can yield to his discipline knowing he’s at work even in the hard things that happen in your life. God’s discipline is purposeful. God knows what we need, and he’s able to use the suffering in our lives to shape us.
As you pray, consider how you can grow in hard times.
Ariana D. Den Bleyker is a Pittsburgh native currently residing in New York’s Hudson Valley. She is the author of two devotional poetry collections,To Be Held by the Lightand Waking in the Light. She is an ordained deacon in the Reformed Church of America.
