Those Whom I Love

“Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise.” Revelation 3:19

I know that it pains us parents when we discipline our children. I forget what Josh did when he was young, but I remember that I could not bear it when Luigi disciplined him and I had to exit the room. 

I believe God loves us too much to leave us as we are. He disciplines us to train us, to make our paths straight. We should not disdain His discipline, it says in Hebrews 12:5. If we do not feel His chastising rod, perhaps He has given up on us? No, never! He will never give up on us! Faith is very important to God. He is training us to trust in Him at this very moment. 

I like the analogy of God as our trainer. Every athlete has to undergo some backbreaking preparation to get to the top of his or her game. My husband Luigi was a swimmer when he was young. He garnered many medals for his school. But what the audience watching him swim didn't see, were the hours and hours of practicing in the wee hours of the morning when everybody was still asleep, when it was so cold, until he was so tired. But if we want breakthroughs, we need to go through strict training. 

Are we in a faith-stretching opportunity? Sometimes it can be too difficult to bear, like when my brother was sick with cancer and we had to go through every heartbreaking decision with him. But God was with us every step of the way, and He is with us in our pain and suffering. I may have left the room when Josh was being punished, but we can be sure God never leaves us alone in our darkest moments. 

In hard times, we thank You, Father, that You do not abandon us. You said, "Be strong and courageous". We place our hope in You, O Lord, trusting that You are our trainer who puts us through our exercises so we can know You more, and make our faith grow.