My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His
correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in
whom he delights.
Solomon. Proverbs 3:11 & 12. Hi, it’s Nathan, and this is day 26 of ANOTHER 30
Days of Wisdom. All of us learn the hard way sometimes—maybe a lot of the time—but that isn’t the way God prefers it. Unfortunately it’s way too often the only optionwe give him in our persistent self-absorption. We’re knuckleheads. Yet he continues to call out to us with deep compassion. Truth is, this may be the hard part of learning: accepting correction with grace. Yet, here’s the beauty that Solomon wishes us to grasp: God only corrects those he loves. Thus, correction is solid evidence that we are deeply loved by God. Both acts of blessing and those of correction all flow from his giant, kind heart. His personal, affectionate. He seeks for us only the best. So next time you sense his gentle prompting—or fall flat on your face, about to learn a hard lesson—let the comfort of this truth persuade your heart to trust more deeply: that every word of counsel and correction, is a personal love-note. At those moments you feel ashamed, and have to swallow a hard lesson—those moments are unique, treasured reminders that you are God’s beloved child.
