"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11 NIV
Stepping up to the start line of the Prairie Spirit Trail 100 mile race early Saturday morning, I closed my eyes and silently mouthed the words I had prayed every day since my training began, "Lord, please grant me the strength to finish the race... but mostly Father, let me bring You glory through my pursuit of the finish line." And while I would love to say that I crossed that finish line in record time, I didn't. In fact, I didn’t even cross the finish line at all. But you know what I did do? I did sing His praises out loud for the 50 miles the Lord granted me the strength to finish because, get this... the Lord has always been faithful to me and He has never, even in the midst of my sin, withheld His love from me. In fact, He has personally walked with me through every trial, through every struggle and through every disappointment I have ever experienced in this life. And if you're wondering, "If God is so faithful and loves you so much, why wouldn't He just keep you experiencing trouble?" let me tell you this... God uses hardships to discipline those He loves which gives you and me every reason to praise Him when we are experiencing difficulty or conditions that are hard to endure.
And you know, I'm certainly not saying that it's easy to be joyful when we undergo moments, days, months, or even years of discipline (which can be defined as the process of being trained for righteousness), I am saying that "later on," if we stay faithful and don't give up, this discipline done out of the Father's love will "produce a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." And if that doesn't make you smile, consider this... only a Father who truly loves His child would take the time to teach and train that child to be all that he or she was designed to be. Am I right? And that, my friend, is the very reason you and I can and should praise Him in the midst of any and every situation.
So no matter what trial or trouble you might be facing today, if you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and can call yourself a child of God, rejoice! The Father's discipline is a sign of His deep love for you. And if your situation isn't "pleasant" right now, take heart knowing that you will one day look back on it and say, "Thank you Lord for using that time to make me more like You. My situation was hard and I didn't understand it then but I am forever grateful for having gone through it now."
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us so many reasons to praise You even when we are discouraged. God, you are so very good to us and give us so much more than we deserve. Help us to praise You in the good times and in the bad knowing that You are using every time to make us more like You. Cause us to remember that it's only through discipline and training that we can ever be all that You created us to be. It's in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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