[Last Sunday’s sermon looked in part at Hebrews 12:3-11, which compares the discipline and training that God brings in to our lives to a father disciplining his children. I see in those verses an implicit dialogue with a reader who keeps raising objections to the idea. Here is an expanded paraphrase of those verses, trying to bring out the key points – Coty]

Reader:
I am really tired. I’ve been fighting this battle with sin so long! I can’t keep fighting any longer. I’m worn out! God can’t possibly expect me to bear up under all this!

Author:
In your contest with sin, are you growing weary? Does the contest seem too tough? Then, hey, listen: I have two things to say to you:
First: Have you died yet? Jesus struggled all the way to death. He toughed it out to a much greater extent than you. Remember that.
Second: Have you forgotten the scriptural encouragement that calls you sons? God calls you His little children! Listen to what Proverbs 3:11-12 says:
My son! Don’t shrug off the Lord’s discipline, or get all depressed about it. It’s a sign of His love! A sign of your adoption!
Furthermore, the rest of Proverbs 3 makes clear that there are tremendous benefits to staying on God’s path, even when it seems challenging and the alternative path seems so easy.
So with all that in mind, here is my main exhortation: Endure hardship as instruction and training. That is: See every pain, every sorrow in your life as God’s way of molding you into what He wants you to be.
And I do mean every pain. Pain that is the result of your sin. Pain that is the result of someone else’s sin. Pain that results from natural disasters.
God is in control. He is sovereign. You are His child. He is making you into His likeness. He is getting rid of your natural ignorance, your natural selfishness, the way you are easily deceived and distracted. He is training you, like Jesus, to be patient in suffering. You are a little child. Your Daddy is training you, strengthening you, stretching you, maturing you.
So when you suffer, trust Him! He is bringing His work in you to completion! Always remember that!

Reader:
You tell me I’m God’s child. But I sure don’t feel loved like a child when God sends pain! Instead, I feel abandoned by Him!

Author:
Have you ever heard of a son who was never disciplined? All sons are disciplined! If you don’t experience discipline: Guess what? You’re not sons! Now, there is a bit of a benefit from not being a son: You then don’t have to endure discipline! But, there’s a big trade-off: Neither do you have the rights and privileges of being a son. So realize this: Being disciplined is sign of sonship! It’s a privilege! It shows you are in the family! Jesus was a son – and He suffered. Therefore, feeling abandoned because of discipline gets the truth completely backwards.

Reader:
Well . . . I’m not sure how to answer that. But, listen: I don’t like this picture of God you’re painting. A God who sends pain! This God doesn’t match my conception of what He should be! If He loved me, He would guard me from pain; He wouldn’t make me go through it. How can I worship a God like that?

Author:
My friend, slow down, listen, and think clearly. You’re really not making any sense.
We routinely put up with pain in our earthly lives – and love and respect those who bring that pain upon us. We could go back to the athletic imagery I’ve used before – every coach brings pain upon his runners, and the best coaches make their runners go through considerable pain! – but instead, let’s stick to the image of a little child with his father:
When your fallible earthly fathers disciplined you as they thought best – in order to make you a better person in this life – didn’t you respect them for it? Even though they often erred, and punished you wrongly? How much more should you respect your spiritual, heavenly Father! How much more should you listen to His instruction and submit to His discipline! He is guiding you to the path of life! (Proverbs 4:13) All His discipline is unquestionably for our good! He is training us to become like Him – that is, holy.
So, you see, to say, “I’m not going to worship a God who sends pain,” is like a two-year-old saying, “I’m not going to love a Daddy who gives spankings.” That’s pure foolishness. Indeed, to say that proves that you need discipline and training.

Reader:
OK. I can agree intellectually that God must discipline us to train us to become like Him, and that I should respect Him for doing that. But, did you hear me? This is painful! This is horrible! This really hurts!

Author:
That’s true of all discipline, my friend. Think back to when you were a little child. When you received a spanking, it hurt, didn’t it? That’s the whole idea! It was supposed to hurt. All discipline at the moment seems to increase our sorrow. It does not seem to increase our joy. But in the end it produces a harvest of righteousness. God is so wise that in the end His discipline molds us into Christ’s likeness – so we become what God intends us to be.
So I exhort you: Endure hardship as discipline. Don’t feel abandoned when you’re in pain – for discipline is a sign of God’s love. Don’t put yourself above God, judging what He should and shouldn’t do – for a child respects his father, even when he doesn’t understand his father, even when the father’s discipline hurts. And don’t focus on your present pain – instead, like Jesus, focus on the joy set before you. Like Him, run the race! Power down that straightaway towards the finish line, towards your Savior, towards Jesus! Don’t be diverted from the race! Right now, you’re weak – indeed, virtually lame. Heal that weakness by God’s grace and by His training! And run!