Saying Thank You For Discipline

When is the last time you took the opportunity to say “Thank you” to someone for disciplining you? In my experience, such gratitude is rarely, if ever, expressed. It seems more often that a person keeps this kind of sentiment to themselves. Is it pride? I’m not sure, but whatever precludes a warranted show of thankfulness certainly isn’t godly.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
But he who hates reproof is stupid.
There are those who are too immature to even realize that a loving person is one who makes the effort to discipline those under his or her charge. Parents are a perfect example. “He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently” (Proverbs 13:24). Those are strong words that we all can live by, and because they are part of the Word of God, they remain irrefutable for all time. A mature person, even when on the receiving end of discipline, appreciates the correction. In the case of children, in my experience, it isn’t until they grow up and have children of their own that they begin to realize that the discipline they received was a gift.

Our Father in Heaven desires that we know His love. He also wants us to know that being disciplined by Him is an absolute expression of His unerring love for us. Discipline is a grace gift, nothing less.

“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.”

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
It seems nonsensical that peace is directly related to discipline. Moreover, it seems irrational to say that it is a direct result of discipline. Yet, this is what the Word of God tells us. As the writer of Hebrews expressed in the verse above, “for the moment [all discipline] seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful.” This is because, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8).

I find it interesting how many people want peace in their lives (is it fair to say everyone?), yet so few are willing to accept the instrument that God uses to guide them to this destination. It’s as if people say, “Give me the peace, but do it on my terms, not yours, God.” The audacity of man is stupefying at times, isn’t it? No one has ever, or will ever, love us more than God, yet we reject His mode of sanctification. What’s truly asinine is man expecting to find peace while disoriented to God. Even more so is man expecting to find peace on his own terms, in the absence of God’s reorienting power.

For whom the LORD loves He reproves,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.
The very best thing we can do when we realize we are being disciplined is examine ourselves very closely and then repent. Remember, the key value of discipline is to wake us up to our being disoriented, and therefore displeasing, to our Lord. In the absence of discipline, we’d never know. This would be analogous to placing our hand on a hot iron without any pain. The damage would be horrific. It’s no different in the spiritual life. We should thank God for the pain and suffering from discipline because it keeps us from destroying ourselves. The Bible reveals this truth to us, hence the Lord’s advice to purchase as much of it as we can.

I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent."
So, the original question remains on the table. When’s the last time you thanked someone for disciplining you? And don’t reserve your thankfulness to God alone, for God uses instruments, such as the one writing to you here, to administer discipline, itself. The same goes with your parents, the police, the courts, etc. There’s no better time than the present to eat your own ridiculous pride and show a little gratitude, in both word and deed, to those who have loved you enough to discipline you. You wouldn’t be where you are today in the absence of the precious gifts ​you've received.

Love in Christ,

Ed Collins