“The painfulness & necessity of correction”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Friday, February 4, 2022

Hebrews 12:3-11 (Forward, p.6) CEV p. 1269

I’m not quite sure how many of our present, younger ‘with it’ generation would view our present passage, for the entire topic of ‘correction’ is one that has fallen out of favour and is largely taboo. And yet, in this present passage at least it is hard to avoid the topic. It mentions the words ‘correction’ or ‘discipline’ or ‘punishment’ (or their related terms) at least fourteen times in just nine verses. And so, it behoves us to take it seriously. What, then, does our passage say about it?

Firstly, it tells us that discipline is a function of being loved and cared for, regardless of whether it comes from earthly parents or from our heavenly Father. Because we belong to them and are valued by them, they care about what happens to us. They care when we go astray and hurt ourselves in the process. A lack of discipline or correction indicates a lack of love, a lack of any real care as to what happens to the person.

Secondly, it reminds us that correction and discipline are intended for our own good, rather than simply being the whim or the emotional state of whoever ii is who is meting it out. They are intended to help us to learn from the experience, to teach us to obey. And the desired end result is also for our good, that we will do right, live in peace, and become holy, like God.

And finally, even if it is obvious that any correction or discipline is less than pleasant, and even painful in certain ways, it is best to be patient under it, submit to it, and learn from it. Because of its intended benefits and its motivation—which is love--we should not make light of it or be discouraged by it.

But, all of this will most surely raise the hackles of many ‘moderns’. Correction or discipline is often seen as a ‘no-no’ in child rearing, and likewise it is often neglected within the educational system. And even in judicial system the whole issue of accountability and correction are underplayed. It ‘may’ be quite reasonable to take into account such factors are upbringing, ADHD or fetal alcohol syndrome, or addictions, but sometimes this seems to go overboard.

These days it seems that only a few things are cracked down upon, things like sexual harassment or misconduct or bullying or racism, while much else goes relatively unnoticed or unpunished. Even murderers and arsonists seem to get off relatively scot free. And even in the church, there is relatively little discipline, except, of course, for sexual misconduct of any sort, and perhaps embezzlement. There is seldom any push-back for clergy mismanagement or misconduct in the parish, and certainly not for heresy!

So, maybe our author’s words should be taken much more seriously by us today. While there will always be those sensitive souls who question whether God might be trying to speak to them or correct them in even the slightest setback or problem—a habit that can be overly self-centred or self-absorbed or introspective—maybe it’s a good idea to periodically look at our lives when issues or problems arise and examine them to see whether indeed God might be speaking to us and trying to correct us. We don’t have to be ruthless or obsessive about this, but this kind of periodic personal examination surely wouldn’t hurt at times—and may actually be good for our souls, a kind of necessary correction then, from a God who truly loves and cares for us. Amen.

Forward notes: “Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (verse 11).

“I am the proud, exhausted parent of a toddler daughter who is just beginning to test limits. In moments of frustration, when she is throwing food or chasing the cat, I try to remember the phrase ‘Discipline is a noun, not a verb.’ My job is not to discipline my child by punishing her for making bad decisions but to teach her discipline so that she will gradually learn to make good decisions herself.

“We are all God’s children, and throughout our lives, God seeks to teach us discipline in much the same way: not through punishment, but through guidance. God rejoices in our efforts to live more fully into the selves we were made to be, especially when we can see our patience, kindness, and habits of prayer yielding ‘the peaceful fruit of righteousness’ in our own lives. Learning these disciplines is not easy, but it’s worth it.

MOVING FORWARD: “Do you have a discipline of daily prayer and scripture reading? Commit to five minutes a day for a week, then 10 minutes for a month. Then consider how that discipline is shaping you.”

A concluding note: So, I would ask the author of today’s Forward Movement meditation, what she would do should her toddler willfully and blatantly transgress clearly defined rules, especially rules that impacted her life or the lives of others in a serious manner? Would she not inflict ‘some’ sort of punishment, rather than just ‘explaining’ to her toddler why it was wrong and trying to redirect her actions elsewhere? Should there not be some sort of consequence to her, the toddler, for her actions? Should there not be some sort of accountability, even at that tender age? (It would suggest that it wouldn’t necessarily be something physical, but there should be some sort of consequence). The author of the Letter to the Hebrews says plainly that discipline, punishment, is sometimes painful—though not necessarily in a physical way—and is that not true for all of us? Correction, being held accountable, is painful, is difficult for us to endure, and so we avoid it, but, nevertheless, for the good of both ourselves and others, it is most necessary and should be accepted.