Day 2490 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.
Proverbs 15:10 NIV
Yeah, that whole discipline thing causes a lot of issues! Our arrogance tells us that we don't make mistakes. We find ways to talk ourselves out of feeling bad for doing something wrong. We can convince ourselves of just about anything if it means being able to hold onto the comfort and excitement that we find in doing things our way. But there's just always going to be this underlying truth that is completely inescapable: our way isn't always right.
We definitely like to think that it is, but the fact of the matter is that we all make mistakes. We do the wrong things because we think they're right. We do the right things for all the wrong reasons. We rush into decisions without thinking things through. We prioritize ourselves and our desires far too much to honestly believe that we never make a wrong choice. But that's just really hard to admit.
I think we don't want to admit the errors we make because errors bring with them the humiliating realization that we're not perfect after all. Then we have to go through the torture of learning from our mistakes. Then there's the whole changing thing that's often required. It's really all just a lot of work to fix a mistake, and well, that makes it pretty easy to see why so many dread being open and honest and admitting that they've strayed off course.
The whole idea of correction may seem like some form of punishment, but that's where we've gotten it all wrong. Correction isn't about looking like a failure or being humiliated like we often see it. It's to correct us so that we find the right path that we were supposed to on. It's to help us see that the errors in doing things our way can be avoided if we simply humble ourselves and think things over a little more. So it's not about punishing us for messing up. It's about helping us learn to do better so that we mess up less.
Every mistake brings this fear of correction, of discipline, of admitting our flaws and having to undergo the arduous task of changing things and doing better. But as painful and humiliating as that can be, it's far better than avoiding correction altogether. That may sound like a much smoother and easier path. And it is for a time. But eventually we're going to have to face our choices and the consequences that come with every wrong turn we've taken.
Friends, God's discipline isn't there to make us feel bad. It's there to help us get better. It's not about tearing us down so we feel like garbage. It's about helping us see the very real cost of wandering away from Him and His path and the danger that it can pose if we don't learn from those dumb choices. We have to stop seeing correction as something to avoid and learn to see it as something that we need as much of as we can possibly get.
The bottom line is that we'll never be perfect but we can be better. It may hurt our pride and bruise our ego and possibly even leave our arrogance broken and bleeding on the road behind us. But if we don't come to see the dangers in doing wrong then we'll never try harder to do what's right. And if we don't try harder to do what's right then we're going to have far more to answer for and face later on.
That's what this verse is trying to remind us. Yeah, no discipline is fun or enjoyable. But it's so much better to have our pride hurt a little bit than to keep running the wrong direction until we run right off a cliff into the pit of destruction and regret. Don't skip the chances God gives you to learn from your mistakes. Those lessons are what help us grow in the right direction and avoid the suffering and anguish of a life lived avoiding the truth.
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