Proverbs 12:1 “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.”
There are the terrible twos, and my daughter would say that it quite possibly carries into the terrible threes! My granddaughter, since she has turned three, has found her voice. It is usually a voice of disagreeing with everything her mom tells her. I have to admit, in some ways, this can bring a little smile to my face. One day as my daughter was in one of these disagreements with a three-year-old, she looked at my granddaughter and told her, “You are being very sassy!” With a look that could kill and hands on her hips, my granddaughter boldly exclaimed, “I not sassy!” In a blink of an eye her place of timeout was found and this not-sassy little three-year-old was learning that maybe she was a little sassy. My guess is this was not a one time correction but a lesson that will have to be learned many times over.
I wish I could say I am much better behaved then a three-year-old. I find that I can be a little sassy and need correction even at the age when I should know better. How many times have I heard the Lord say, “You are being ... (fill in the blanks).” Of course, there I stand with hands on my hips and boldly say, “I am not!” In a way I wish the Lord could put me in timeout because maybe I would instantly see my bad behavior. Many times it takes years of bad consequences in relationships to figure out what behavior I need to change.
My daughter is trying to teach my granddaughter good behavior to help her be a better person. Correction must be motivated by love. In order for correction to be received one must feel the correction is coming from a place of caring. Paul wrote a letter to the church in Corinth. He loved this church, but they were often defiant, maybe even a little sassy. His words show his love and concern for their actions. He said, “For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you, but to let you know the depth of my love for you.”
I know Paul loved this church. I know my daughter loves my granddaughter, and I know the Lord loves me. There is pain in giving out correction to the ones we love. That old saying, “This hurts me more that it hurts you,” is very true. The outcome of listening to correction helps to make us better people. I can only speak for myself, but I can be very prideful and not want to see the faults in my life. It is hard for me to open my heart and see what changes I need to make. It is just as hard to change them. The Lord promises to make me a new creation, but I have to do my part. When He shows me what I need to change, I need to listen and learn. That is where I gain knowledge. What I have learned so far is whether I am a sassy three-year-old or a prideful stubborn grandma I am never too old to be corrected.
Lord, You are not through with me yet. You and me have work to do!
