Grateful for Discipline by Lt. Amanda Keene
“And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, ‘My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.’”
– Hebrews 12:5-6
Let’s go back in time and meet 7 year old Amanda. She was quite the burst of energy, and she was not shy. In fact, she would go up to complete strangers and introduce herself by saying, “Hi! I’m Amanda, and I’m shy!” For her birthday she got a Barbie, and this Barbie was pretty cool because it came with little scissors, and you could cut her hair. Well, if she could cut the Barbie’s hair, why couldn’t she cut her 4 year old sister’s hair? Right before her 4^th birthday party?
Let’s just say – my mom was not happy about this. Looking back, I think it’s kind of hilarious but no one else did. That Barbie was definitely taken away, along with TV privileges which meant I couldn’t watch Punky Brewster or Legends of the Hidden Temple. Bummer. But my mom wanted to make sure I learned that cutting hair was not acceptable behavior. Discipline is necessary.
I’m grateful for discipline, and I will say honestly that I haven’t always been so grateful. Hebrews tells us that the Lord disciplines His children, those He loves. Here’s the thing: that discipline is not always fun. It hurts. Sometimes the Lord has had to take people out of my life, people I loved a lot, but He wanted to show me that He should be my #1. Sometimes He’s allowed me to stay in my sin and to hit rock bottom because I was too stubborn and wouldn’t let Him help me. It hurts. Lately as I’ve been looking over the last year and a half, the same amount of time I have been an officer, I’ve noticed that I’ve changed – in a good way. I can see how the discipline, the hard lessons that Jesus let me learn, and the pain that many times accompanied those lessons helped make me into the now 29 year old Amanda that I am today. He has disciplined me and will continue to do so, but I’m grateful because it makes me more like Him. It reminds me that I am His precious daughter, that He loves me and call me His own. He loves you too, more than you could ever imagine.
When did the Lord last discipline you?
 
What did you learn from that experience?