It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12: 7, 10-11

The Andy Griffith Show was a favorite show I watched as a rerun growing up and even today, I’ll gladly watch Andy and the characters of Mayberry. I remember one episode when Andy was presented with the need to discipline his son Opie who was being influenced by another child character and follows the example of “Arnold” in “Opie and the Spoiled Kid.” In the end, Opie learns his lesson from his father and this is the point of discipline, isn’t it?

I often think back on the childhood of my kids. As a father myself, sometimes the discipline was too harsh. Other times, not so much. But perhaps the biggest challenge was one of consistency. I generally did what I thought was best at the time, but I know I fell short of my goals many, many times.

On the other hand, God is consistent in His expression of love for us and one of the most loving ways that real love is displayed is through discipline. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that our earthly fathers “disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good” (Hebrews 12: 10a). It’s an actual mark of our position as “sons and daughters.”