Day 3 - DISCIPLINE EQUALS LOVE

Proverbs 3:9-10 My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when He corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom He delights.

I grew up playing sports. Football, basketball, baseball, track, cross country, and golf. Pretty much any sport available, I’d give it a shot. But without a doubt, my favorite was basketball. I love the game. There’s just something about it.

Since I played so much on a competitive level, I also received my fair amount of “corrective moments” from coaches. But one day stands out from all the rest. It was my junior year of high school, and I had just gone 0-11 from the three point line in a rivalry game, which we lost on a last second shot that was missed by yours truly. Needless to say, it wasn’t my best game.

The next day in practice my coach let me have it. And when I say he let me have it, I mean he let me have it. It was Mel Gibson in Braveheart worthy, just not quite as motivational. With no minced words, he let me know what I could and should have done better.

The next day, one of the assistant coaches noticed the toll that “corrective moment” had on me so he pulled me aside. I was truly dejected and frankly a little mad at my head coach. But I’ll never forget what this coach said to me in this private conversation. He said, “Cody, don’t get upset or worried when the coach gets on your case. Get nervous when he stops.”

I’ll never forge those words because I realized as long as I was receiving discipline, the coach hadn’t given up on me. As long as he was correcting me, he was still pulling potential out of me.

That’s exactly what this scripture says. God who is our our Father, corrects and disciplines us because He loves us! I want you to think about it like this. Do parents discipline other people’s kids or their own? The clear answer is that parents discipline their own children because they have a personal responsibility for the outcome and future. So you could say that receiving discipline is a confirmation that you are a legitimate and loved child.

When I’m in a “corrective moment” with my kids I always remind them of this principle. I remind them that I am doing this because I love them. In fact, discipline just may be the highest level of love I can show my children because it shows without a doubt that I am invested in their well being.

So the next time you sense God bringing a discipline or correction in your life, tell Him how thankful you are that He loves you that much. Thank Him for being so invested in your life that He is willing to remove anything harmful and coach out your potential.

PRAYER

Father, thank you for allowing me to be part of your family. And thank you for loving me enough to correct and discipline me. You love me that much. I want you to know that I embrace your correction because I trust you know what’s best for me. I’m grateful that you invested in my future and I’ll listen when you speak.