A Fresh Glimpse of God’s Love

Hebrews 12:11 “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

 Being a mother is the greatest blessing and the hardest job ever. Your heart is so tightly laced with your children, you often aren’t sure where you end and they begin. Their joy brings you joy; their pain brings you pain. It is a delicate and precious bond. But for all its beauty it is also often messy and miserable.

This week one of my darlings made a series of bad choices at school. This resulted in a vast variety of consequences. My first emotional response was shock, quickly followed by anger and disappointment. My heart hurt over the intensity of it all. I had to be firm, but not mean. I had to show love but also displeasure. How do you know where the line is? What is too much? What is enough?

Thankfully the call from the school came before lunch so I had several hours to pray and seek wise counsel. As her father and I discussed, debated and deliberated over our options I felt completely unequipped to correctly navigate these unknown waters. But, I was equipped. God’s Word framed and guided our choices. We were ready. We agreed upon a plan and the school supported our choices. Step one and two done. The next step, telling the child and setting the consequences in motion.

The tears shed that afternoon by both child and mother could fill our bathtub, but we had accomplished our desire: to touch the heart and teach an invaluable lesson. But the whole of the consequences would not go into effect until today.

As I dropped my humbled and contrite child at school this morning, whispered words tumbled from the passenger seat, “I’m scared.”

My heart broke. But I held it together and assured all would be well. We had prayed and God would supply the strength needed. Backpack and lunch box were bravely grabbed, and chin lifted as the uncertain child made the trip into the school.

I made it out of the parking lot before I began to sob. I had agreed to this consequence. It was right. But it hurt unbelievably. I wanted to swoop in and rescue, spare the pain and possible embarrassment, but that would be wrong. This was best. The lesson was too important, a little heart was at stake. My child’s.

As I sat at my desk looking through baby pictures and crying a startling truth become glaringly evident. God allows consequences for our good. Yes, he could intervene and spare us, but he allows them because He knows—a heart is at stake. He isn’t looking to modify behavior; He wants to change our hearts and sometimes the process requires painful consequences. But God isn’t up there watching unaffected. He hurts with us. He shares our pain because of his great love for us. Just as we, the parents careful weighed the possibilities, our Heavenly Father allows nothing to touch us that He can’t use to grow and change us.

God is infinitely good and we are gloriously loved. Even when life hurts and the pain is crippling, the faithfulness of God can see us through and He will use those very things to mold us into the image of His Son. What a great God we serve!