Time Out Chair

12 x 24Hebrews 12:5-6 "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as a son."

This is a painting of my children's time out chair. I could not bring myself to sell this one, so I hung it in front of the time out chair that sits in our hallway so that my girls will have a visual reminder that our discipline of them is about love.

One of my children, in particular, has a tendency to "lose heart" when she is confronted with discipline. Like most of us, she has trouble facing her failures and weaknesses and has a desire to get things right. Her first response is to deny and make excuses. Then, she moves into a place of anger toward herself , and eventually, after she moves through her self pity, she can bring herself to apologize. It makes me so sad when I see her that way, because I know in my heart that the discipline is for her good. My desire is to teach her, train her, and protect her from her own folly, but she becomes so focused on her failure that she loses sight of the fact that the discipline is for her good.

I have often responded the same way when I have been faced with discipline from my heavenly Father. When I use the word discipline, I am not implying that God sends tragic things in our lives to discipline us. When I speak of discipline, I am speaking of God bringing conviction of sin in my life. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that our hearts are deceitful above all things and beyond cure. David says to the Lord in Psalm 16:2, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." Although there is something in me that inherently wants to believe that my heart is good apart from Christ, the bible tells me the exact opposite.

It was God, in his love, revealing to me the dark condition of my own heart that drove me to the cross at salvation, and it is, now, his continued discipline that keeps me at the foot of the cross daily. I have numerous blind spots, sinful patterns that I am not aware of, and when God sheds light on those and begins to reveal them to me, it is certainly painful.

Like my young daughter, I have often lost heart when my loving Father has disciplined me. I have to believe the reason He tells us in Hebrews not to "lose heart" is that he knows of our tendency to do so. In those moments, where I feel crushed under the weight of my own sins and weaknesses, the holy spirit gently reminds me of God's words in Hebrews 12: "Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, that we share in his holiness. 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. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 'Make level paths for your feet,' so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed."

He lovingly reminds me that the discipline is for my good, but it is not for my glory. He disciplines me so that my life would bring glory to the God of the universe, by loving others more like Christ would love them. His desire is that I would share in His holiness and show the love of Christ to those he puts in my path.

Often, I have prayed for God to work in my children's lives, and instead of God changing them, He brings discipline in my own life, to change my heart so that I can love them in a more Christlike way. God always works in ways that I do not expect, and following Him is never as easy as I imagine that it will be, but I am so thankful that he loves my children and I enough to discipline me for my good and for his glory, so that my children and others would feel the love of Christ flow through me.

Father, strengthen my feeble arms and week knees when you discipline me. Make level paths for my feet so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Let my children and I stay focused on the truth that your discipline is proof that you love us and that we are your children. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Note: The time out chair in the picture above is simply a symbol of discipline. It is not a commentary on what I believe to be the right or wrong forms of discipline.