You go first!

Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you. (Proverbs 9:7-9)

Men have many responses to rebuke, don't they? Some will scoff and say you are wrong about them. Others will argue vehemently that you have made wrong decisions yourself, so how could you possibly judge their actions as wrong. Still some will find any rebuke as belittling, cowering as a child scorned, afraid of what others will think should they find out what they have 'done wrong'. When a child of God is rebuked, it is a definite sign they are loved too much to be allowed to continue in their folly. 

We may not judge one another - it isn't our place to act as 'judge', but God does ask us to look out for the welfare of one another. We aren't just to turn a blind eye to another's wrong actions. As much as is possible, we must gently guide them back toward making wise choices. Does that mean we criticize or condemn their actions? Absolutely not! It simply means we recognize their actions as contrary to God's commands and LOVINGLY seek to see them restored.

You teach the wise, not the foolish. You bring insight to the righteous because you know they will embrace it and learn from it. When we look out for one another, we might see certain actions that are 'red flags' the other one may not easily see themselves. We find ways to point them in the right direction, away from those red flags, so they can be safe, secure, and at peace within their hearts.

A word to the wise, though. Don't correct others for actions you have been engaging in yourself. That is hypocritical. Take care of you own sin first. The, as God leads, become an example of his grace and wisdom to those who may also struggle with making right choices similar to the ones you are now making. We won't be able to help another learn until we have learned our own lesson first. Just sayin!

Listening yet?

Some people refuse to bend when someone corrects them. Eventually they will break, and there will be no one to repair the damage. (Proverbs 29:1)

I became a good typist pretty quickly while in high school and this was probably because dad had an old manual typewriter I could practice on at home. Yet, no matter how "good" I became, I made mistakes which required correction. Not only because of key-strike errors, but in my posture! I remember my teacher coming up behind me, putting her fingers between my shoulder blades and poking me. Why? I was supposed to have excellent posture - somehow making me type with proficiency and speed! I was frequently corrected on keeping both feet on the ground while typing - as though the stability this gave would keep the typewriter and me firmly planted on good old terra-firma! Despite all the correction I received in my three years of office machine classes, guess how my feet are today. You got it - crossed, lazily slung under the desk - and my posture isn't much better! The "correction" just didn't "stick". Sometimes we are like that - we just don't understand or accept the value in the correction, so we don't "stay corrected".

It probably doesn't matter a hill of beans that my "typing posture" is poor these days (even though my typing teacher is probably rolling over in her grave). It probably doesn't improve my typing for me to sit up straight and firmly plant the feet on the ground - but on occasion I still find myself "correcting" my posture as I remember the "rules" I was taught. It just doesn't stay "fixed" - it is like those 'rules' are teflon. It matters when I cut corners in my relationships, getting sloppy in the relationship "posture" I assume within them. It matters when I don't see the value in listening to the still, small voice prompting me to avoid some hazard in my life. It matters when I refuse to listen to the sage counsel of a good friend who is really looking out for my best interest when advice is offered. Some correction is just meant to "stick" and to have this "teflon-experience" where it really matters is just not going to cut it in the long run.

The saddest part of refusing correction, or thinking it just won't make any difference to do something a different way, is that we miss out on things we just don't realize we miss. It is like when I saw this viral video about a guy on his sailboat out in the ocean, focusing so intently on what was on his smart phone that he missed the whales breaching right in front of him. Now, mind you, I may not be this "unconscious" of my relationship posture, but it is close to that at times! One day we may be so caught up in what seems important at the moment and miss the stuff which really matters. This is the danger of not receiving the "little corrections" along the way. In the course of time, the little corrections rejected become the big mistakes made!

To refuse correction is a dangerous thing. It is like being in the territory of a hungry alligator with nothing more than a bag of dried peas and a large straw. You might be able to propel a few peas toward the hungry beast, but all you are doing is annoying the heck out of it! Eventually all your best effort to ward off its attack will be for naught. The thing will likely rise up and do you some serious harm! Things we refuse to correct in life are kind of like the hungry alligator in our lives - they will eventually get the upper hand. When they do, it is sometimes the hardest thing to walk away from "unaffected". Most of the time we suffer significant injury or loss. If we want to refuse advice and counsel, we must be prepared for the consequences which will come. Sometimes the smallest of corrections gets us a whole lot closer to ending up where we wanted to be in life than refusing these small corrections. It is much easier to correct things before they become habit, but it isn't impossible to make those corrections of a habit - it just takes a little more effort and determination. Just sayin!

Have I corrected for that?

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 7:21-25)

When I want this, I do that. Sound familiar? It is a real struggle for all of us. No one is without some struggle with wanting to do what is right and somehow struggling to 'hit' that mark. Don't miss what Paul is saying - the battle or struggle is really within our minds. Our hearts are sure we want to do what is right, but our minds get all muddled up in the temptation that is pulling us in the opposite direction. When I was in high school, I took an archery course. It taught me one thing - aiming for the bullseye didn't ensure I would actually hit it!

So many factors played into hitting that center mark. I might not have enough tension on the bow and the arrow would fall short of the target. I would be aiming a bit too low and miss the rings totally. I might adjust my aim to a bit higher and way overshoot the target. Even when I managed to get within the circles of the target, I frequently did not hit 'dead center'. I saw where I wanted it to go. I adjusted my tension to take the arrow the distance. I refocused my aim, so it matched the 'placement' I desired for the arrow. Yet, I missed the mark! I considered a bunch of factors, but obviously didn't consider all of them! Did I adjust for crosswinds? Nope. Did I adjust for the pitch of the land? Nope. Did I consider my fatigue as the I took each subsequent shot? Nope. I 'thought' I had made all the necessary 'corrections', but as you can see from my illustration, we sometimes aren't even aware of the things that need 'correction'.

To be free from the domination of sin and the pull of our own flesh, we need something (or perhaps someone) with a better understanding of how this freedom is actually accomplished. Sometimes the correction we need is right there in front of us, but we just don't see it. We need God's help to know when our 'spirit' is right, but our 'flesh' is weak. We need his help in seeing how much that 'fleshly weakness' is pulling us toward sin. Our heart and mind aren't always 'sympatico' - they are at odds with each other sometimes! When all the 'right steps' aren't accomplishing the outcome we hoped for, we would be best served asking God if there are things we haven't 'corrected for' in our lives. Just sayin!

The total package

The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. (Proverbs 10:8)

How we embrace instruction tells a story that we may not always want to hear. The wise embrace it - maybe not with enthusiasm all the time, but with an integrity of heart that says they want to learn what God teaches, regardless of the cost. The fool will just babble about why it is 'too hard', 'not something he needs', or that there is 'some other answer' he must discover before he 'tries this one'. Oh, I hope none of us are like the fool who babbles on, but rather are like the wise who sit at the feet of Jesus and listen intently.

If we want to reject God's teachings, it is our prerogative. In turn, don't be surprised when the same lesson keeps coming around and around, maybe with a different presentation each time, but with the same 'heart intent'. God isn't going to let us just reject the lesson once and then say that is the way it will be. His grace keeps reaching out to help us 'soften' to the wisdom being taught. For many of us, lessons are caught and not taught. We find ourselves learning from others, not because they are smarter than us but because they may have taken hold of the lesson quicker than we did.

The fool babbles on - the wise gets quiet and listens. That may actually be a good way to judge how much we are willing to accept instruction from God. Do we listen first, or give an incessant ranting about why we don't think the lesson is meant for us? The fool may not see he is headed for a pretty big fall, but the wise will do everything they can to avoid any 'tripping points' in the path! If we take notice of the path before we take the journey, we may not choose that particular path. If we just amble along, expecting that all will be well, we could just find ourselves on a path that is way above our endurance!

My heart isn't always 'glad' to receive instruction - especially when it comes with correction. Part of instruction is correction. We need to know where we are 'making mistakes' so we can learn the 'right way' to live. While correction is not desired, it is definitely needed. The fool never gets to the point of accepting correction, much less admitting he needs it. The wise enter into all instruction with the knowledge that correction may just be part of the 'total package'. Just sayin!

Wrong again?

Correct a worthless bragger, and all you will get are insults and injuries. Any bragger you correct will only hate you. But if you correct someone who has common sense, you will be loved. If you have good sense, instruction will help you to have even better sense. And if you live right, education will help you to know even more. (Proverbs 9:7-9)

We definitely benefit from correction when it is embraced and does the work it was intended to do, but it is not always pleasant or easily embraced. Did it ever occur to you that God is giving us a chance to prove we have actually learned from our mistakes? We need to view correction as a means of learning from mistakes - not as a punishment or some form of "penalty" for what it is we have done. The truth is we make a sufficient number of mistakes each day - if it were not for the ability to "correct" those mistakes along the way, I don't think many relationships would have lasted, nor would progress have been made in the projects we undertook! Correction is simply a chance to set right what was once wrong. When we begin to see it this way, we might just embrace it a little easier.

Why is it we see correction as "difficult" or "unpleasant"? Learning is comprised of both trial and error. We try and sometimes we err. We try again and sometimes we get it correct, but not always because we understand how we actually got it correct. When we try again and again, consistently getting it correct in all subsequent attempts, we say we have "learned well". Why? The ability to correct what it was we did not fully comprehend in the first place led to us fully incorporate the principles which would produce the "right results" consistently. God gives us the chance to correct our choices until we come to a place of consistency in our lives. We call this chance for correction "grace". We call this repetition of testing "growth". Grace and growth go hand-in-hand. Without one, the other would simply not occur! 

There are different places in life where we come to the place of growth - sometimes certain places afford better learning opportunities, while others simply make it a little more uncomfortable or difficult. Most of us would readily agree - we didn't just wake up today determined to do things "wrong" - we just found ourselves presented with opportunities to make wise choices and we made something other than wise ones. God uses our good sense - he gives us the chance to see for ourselves the error, developing in us the desire to correct the error so we don't fall into it again. What does common sense have to do with us growing? It helps us incorporate the learning we gleaned from the failure. If we hit our thumb with the hammer as we try to drive a nail into a piece of wood, we may fear it will happen again. We could stop using nails and hammers, taking on the use of a screw and screwdriver. The job could probably get done, but a whole lot more effort is put into screwing the screw into the wood! Our common sense would tell us to try the nail again, just being a little more cautious about the location of our thumb in reference to the head of the hammer!

Don't view God's correction as punitive - but as purposeful. His correction is designed for our growth. He points out areas where we have opportunities to think through our actions, so we produce the right responses time and time again. When God looks into our life's experiences, he does so in the spirit of correction - affording us the "grace" to try again. No lesson is ever learned by giving correction alone - it is when we change our actions that we learn from them! Just sayin!

Life Hack #13 - I Needed That

Life Hack #13:

Don’t be afraid to correct your young ones; a spanking won’t kill them. A good spanking, in fact, might save them from something worse than death. (Proverbs 23:13-14)

Children need correction in their formative years, and this is probably one of the hottest debated topics among parents today. There is a principle being taught in the scripture which goes beyond the "means" or "method" of discipline used to correct the child to the "heart" behind all discipline rendered by a parent. Discipline is for the correction of behavior which will lead the child into harmful stuff if ignored - and when rendered with the heart and compassion of a loving parent, it should always be within the boundaries of what does not bring more "harm" to the child.

God's lessons are sometimes hard for me to learn, I don't know about you. When I am not getting them, he sometimes has to resort to what brings me to a place of paying attention. A parent's discipline should only be as "significant" as will bring the child to the place they are paying close attention to what is said, embracing the correction required in their behavior. There are many forms of discipline - verbal (correction with words alone); separation (time outs); withholding a privilege (taking away something the child enjoys); and even spanking (the most controversial of all). All discipline is for the intention of "correction" - even when it is a gentle guidance with words or a moment to just stop to think about one's behavior.

God does this all the time with us - gently dropping in a word of warning, or perhaps giving us the sense we are not on the right track and then asking us to stop long enough to get our bearings again. The intent in this scripture is not to "sanction" the use of a "method" of discipline as much as it is the heart of the parent to not be "soft" on a child's rebellion. A parent needs to take an active role in correcting behavior which will afford the child opportunities for more harm if left "unchecked". Proverbs 29:15 says: The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. (ESV)

The goal of any discipline is to bring learning - the cessation of the wrong behavior, coupled with the opportunity to embrace the right one, and hopefully the change in the child's "will" that leads to the child doing the right thing in the future. Discipline seems very unpleasant while we are going through it, but in the end, if we are "trained" by it, we will reap pleasant things in our lives.

There are boundaries we should all consider prior to any discipline - for ALL discipline should be done within these boundaries. What are they? Be sure the "punishment" fits the wrongdoing. If you always resort to using one method of discipline, it is possible the overuse of that method may not result in behavior change. God uses different methods with us, based on the specific change he is requiring.

All discipline must be tempered in love - respecting the gifts of life and relationship we are entrusted with. It is not rendered in anger, or in a manner which frustrates and drives us further away or into our own rage. In taking discipline seriously, correcting your own behavior first so you are ready to correct the behavior of your child second, you are assuming your responsibility well. Discipline is always a balance between love and control - you must always discipline in love, remaining in full control of your emotions first, and seeking to connect the desired behavior with what it is you are correcting. This is how God does it and we should follow his example. Just sayin!

Just needs a little fixin'

I know, God, that mere mortals can’t run their own lives, that men and women don’t have what it takes to take charge of life. So correct us, God, as you see best. (Jeremiah 10:23-24)

Have you ever found yourself in a position where you required a substitute for what is wrong or inaccurate in your life? Correction is needed, but maybe it is not so much because we are completely wrong, but there is some "inaccuracy" in our lives which gets us going in the wrong direction. It is kind of like only seeing half of a room in front of us one way, then turning around to see the room we thought was filled with beauty also contained a few smelly corpses. Correction puts things in the right framework - gives us the right perspective when what we have been pursuing is just a little inaccurate. It also gives us a swift kick in the seat when what we have been pursuing is totally and completely wrong! If you have ever taken your hands of the wheel in your car to see if your car will "drift" a little to the right or left, you probably did it to see if your wheels were aligned. Why? Aligned wheels get better wear, don't cause as much effort in the driving, give us better gas mileage, and just keep us on course better than misaligned ones. If you have ever been distracted by something flying around in the car, swatting furiously at the thing trying to shoo it out the window, you might just have experienced the sudden need to "jerk" your car back into your own lane! Both of these require correction - one is rather immediate with the action required well within your ability, while the other requires expertise outside of your skill set.

There is a point in our lives where we must realize some of the required correction within us is outside of our skill set! We need to go to the one who knows best how to get it done! Adjustment in course is part of life. Sometimes we can do it because we took our attention off the course a little and we are able to make an adjustment quickly. At other times, we need to admit to God we cannot - we need his help to sort out what keeps us from being on course! I can see the uneven wear on my tires. I don't know whether it is too much tilt this way or that - mechanics refer to these as caster, camber, toe, and thrust angles. I could find that information on any search of internet highway, but can I go out today and fix the alignment on my car? I don't have the tools, the right measurements to choose, or even the desire to get that dirty! I take my car to the mechanic I trust because he can set these things all in right order and in less time than I could ever do it. There are times in our spiritual life when we don't have the right tools, either. We need something outside of the "regular" tool set we have come to rely upon. Times when we might just need to go to someone of greater spiritual maturity than ourselves. They might just possess the tool God designed to be used to correct whatever is out of alignment in our lives. There are other times when we need some alone time with the Great Mechanic, God himself. In those moments, he sets about to correct what causes us "drift", excessive "wear and tear", and even a little "discomfort" in our travels.

Have you ever let a gentle correction go unheeded? I have! One time I came out in the morning to a small indicator light on showing my tire pressure low. I thought it meant it was low, not flat as a pancake! I drove a couple of miles to the nearest gas station, not realizing the tire had about zero air in it. Guess what? I not only could not maintain the air pressure in this tire, I needed a totally new one because I damaged the sidewall by driving on it! Some of us don't heed the gentle corrections we receive in life. When we don't, a more "robust" correction may be needed. I could have called AAA before I left the house to change the tire and put on my spare - if I had looked at what the warning light was trying to say to me before I pulled out of my driveway. I could have saved myself about a hundred bucks if I had. The tire swap with the spare would have been relatively cheap compared to the ultimate problem of having to replace the entire tire, especially since my AAA was paid up and the tire change would have only cost me a little time! As much as we don't like correction, if we ignore the warnings long enough, the damage caused by our unwillingness to accept the correction will far outweigh the small investment of our time, energies, and focus to pay attention in the first place! Just sayin!

No April Fool Here

But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. (Romans 6:23)

Who tells you what to do? We probably all have persons in authority within our lives that give us tasks to complete and we go off in the direction of 'doing' whatever it is we are asked to do. Bosses are probably at the top of the list - they by nature of their position are guiding the work that gets done each day. If you are a child, parents are those individuals who remind the child of the bed needing to be made, teeth requiring a little scrubbing, and toilet paper that needs replacing when they use it all up. Traffic cops expect we will observe what they tell us to do, diverting this way or that, stopping when told and then proceeding when it is our 'turn' in line. Even in nature there are bigger, more dominant animals, birds, and reptiles that seem to be 'telling' those around them what to do. I observe the larger mourning doves ward off the sparrows until they have had their own fill at the feeders - the sparrows just watching on the fence line until it is 'their turn'. If sin has been at work in our lives, telling us to go this way or that, maybe it is time we listen to a different 'authority' in our lives.

It took a while for me to figure out that I didn't need to listen to that voice of temptation telling me what to do. How about you? No, I don't have this down pat, still listening to the 'wrong voice' on occasion, but I listen less and less to it as I recognize there is a new 'authority' in my life I need to listen to instead. Sin attempts to tell us what to do, but we don't have to listen, much less heed the urging to do whatever it is we are being prompted to engage in. There is indeed a great delight in listening to the 'right' voice! Who knew it would be so rewarding to listen tot he right voice - submit to the right authority - in our lives? I appreciate that God reminds us sin is like a task-master, making us work for it, but with no real reward at the end of all that work. If you find you have listened a little bit more to the urging of the one who urges you to take steps you know better than to take, maybe it is time to allow a change of authority in your life. Sin will rule as long as you allow it to rule - you actually have to 'unseat' that authority in your life and allow the authority of Christ to become the only thing 'seated' deep within your heart and mind.

A whole, healed, put together life - is there anyone reading this that doesn't honestly want this for themselves? I know I get tired of walking around with a bag of mixed emotions, heart hurting because of what I do that doesn't honor God, and dragging around all those feelings of guilt and remorse. So, instead of dragging those things around, I have come to recognize they signal me of a problem with who is the ultimate authority in my life at that moment. It is likely me and my own sinful desires that urge me to do things that aren't in God's plan for me. I listen to the wrong voice and it loads me up with all manner of stuff that I don't want to be loaded down with. So, I choose to listen with my spiritual ears, not just the ones attached to the sides of my head! I hear God's voice in the stillness of the times I allow him to be heard. You read that right - I 'allow' God to be heard by my heart, mind, will, and emotions. I have to make time to listen - intently, with determined heart, mindful of what is being spoken to me. Remember, God never said he would speak with the loudest and most demanding voice - that is likely the task-master known as sin!

The 'put together' me is not an easy project - there are a whole lot of 'missed steps' that God has to deal with when he speaks into my life. How about you? Does he bring correction to you, as well? If so, you need to remember you are only being 'corrected' because you are being intensely loved. God's correction is always designed to bring us out from under the task-master of sin in our lives - it is love in action, delivering us from a task-master with a very loud voice, but a very evil heart. Don't reject God's quiet corrections - they are 'love taps' to get us back under the correct authority in our lives. I like that God corrects me - when my words are harsh, actions are less than honorable, or thoughts wander into places of comparison that only feed pride and envy. A healed and put-together life is one that recognizes when the voice we listened to steered us down a wrong path and the voice we hear quietly correcting us is really the only one that speaks from a place of love - the ultimate place of authority! Just sayin!

Sit down - we need to chat a while

Have you ever been just a little bit 'over-the-top' when it comes to your competitive spirit? I watch some guys play basketball in their 50's and 60's like they were in their teens and wonder just how great they are going to feel in the morning. Some will awaken with aches and pains in places they forgot even existed! They will find their 'enthusiasm' of the day before might have been a little overboard when they realize how foolish they were to drive for the basket as earnestly as they did in order to lay up that shot. We all have a bent toward enthusiastic competition in some form or another, although it may not be in the realm of sports, it still exists. What we do with our competitiveness matters, though. Too much can actually be our undoing - not enough can cause us to never try anything new.

He sat down and summoned the Twelve. “So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all.” Mark 9:35 MSG

I'd say the twelve disciples may have suffered from some 'over-the-top' competitiveness from time to time, making them entirely human and just a wee bit like us. Do you find it satisfying to know that others needed Jesus to take them aside from time to time, sit them down, and have a heart-to-heart with them about just how crazy their competitiveness was? I kind of do, because it means I am no less human than they were, and no less in need of God's kind reminders that I am not the one who needs to 'stand out' - he is!

Jesus sits them down. Whenever I wanted to actually spend some time trying to deliver a hard message to someone, I usually asked them to sit down. We needed to be eye-to-eye and I needed to be able to see their body language and facial expressions. Why? Those things often let me know if I was getting through to them. I could 'read' their reactions to what was being shared and 'adjust' my message a little bit if I wasn't 'hitting home' quite as it was intended. I don't think Jesus differs - he often asks us to come away, sit down, and come face-to-face with him so he can share some pretty important stuff with us. In so doing, he is actually coming to our level - in order that he might give us his perspective in the matter.

These guys wanted the 'top seat', so to speak, in God's kingdom. In their minds, Jesus was coming to set up a world dominion - a kingdom he would rule and that would require other 'rulers' alongside him to assist him in those duties. It was probably much like having a Vice President and Secretary of State. They thought those 'top positions' should have been 'awarded' to one or the other of them, arguing publicly along their journey that day about who had more merit for these positions. Although their idea of how God would establish his 'rule' was a little bit off, Jesus doesn't start there. He focuses on the greater need - the 'rule' of their hearts.

Jesus is all about the heart whenever he speaks with us. He isn't about us getting everything right in our minds - he will help us get that right later - as soon as he has our hearts in the right order! We oftentimes get this a little out of order - we believe we should understand everything and then we let our hearts catch up. Jesus is just the opposite - get the hearts in order and the understanding will follow! Whenever Jesus takes us aside and has one of those 'heart-to-hearts' with us, we shouldn't feel ashamed for our attitude or behavior - we should feel blessed because he cares enough to get 'at our level' in order to help us put things in right order again! Just sayin!

Torn down to be built up

The road to life is a disciplined life; ignore correction and you're lost for good. 

(Proverbs 10:17 MSG)

While I don't always reflect it, I am working toward having a disciplined focus in life. I want to be honest here - disciplined focus in every area of your life is hard work. A disciplined life is one that is molded - one that receives the necessary training that corrects the course of one's actions. Correction can occur at about three points along the journey we call life - either at the beginning of the course prior to the action being taken, mid-way through the consequences of choosing the wrong course, or after the course has been completed and we find ourselves experiencing a pretty unwanted outcome. The one who has chosen to live a disciplined life has accepted the fact that training is a necessary part of life - as much as having a 'personal trainer' isn't my goal in life, I need one. One who is willing to live a disciplined life has come to accept that it is this 'training' that both builds the mental faculties and establishes the moral character of a man. When obedience is learned, there is order in life. Self-control keeps one from doing or saying things that will adversely affect the course one takes.

The 'personal trainer' I need isn't the one for my physical body (although that wouldn't hurt), but for my mental and spiritual oversight. I need instruction in how to make right choices, not always listening to my emotions. I need to embrace the correction of the Holy Spirit in my life - my personal trainer sent from God to help me grow. Ignoring correction guarantees you and I a path of unsuccessful ventures - riddled with choices that undermine good character and eat away at solid morals. Correction to the unwise seems like a form of unjust or unwarranted punishment - often met with the "why me" kind of complaint. Correction to the wise is a blessing and a help in times of struggle or danger. It easy to fall into the "why me" pit of complaint, but hear this my friends - God isn't giving us anything he isn't willing to walk with us through, helping us to learn from what it is we are walking through.

The idea of correction is to 'set right' - the fool never realizes the specific course of action they are embarking upon as actually not being the right course in the first place! That is why the fool never embraces the correction - he doesn't see the value in it. A man or woman that is seeking to live a disciplined life will value correction for what it adds to life - not seeing it as 'taking away' from life. It is important to see the activity of the wise and the inactivity of the fool. The wise embraces correction - the fool chafes against it, ignores it, or simply never even hears it. Embracing correction is a life-giving choice that establishes a right course for the wise.

God's correction is always designed to make us stronger, wiser, and filled more with his grace! He never tears us down in correcting us. Sure, he may ask us to stop some course of action, but it is always with the design of building us up in moral character - remembering that to build up, sometimes one must make way for the new growth by dismantling something that stands in the way of that new work. The next time we are faced with correction, consider this: Is the course of action we are taking building us up, or tearing us down? If the answer is the latter, it is likely that God is attempting to steer us back on course in order to establish a strong footing upon which we may find our lives 'built up' anew. Just sayin!

A reed is very strong

Some people refuse to bend when someone corrects them. Eventually they will break, and there will be no one to repair the damage. 

(Proverbs 29:1 ERV)

"You get tragedy where the tree, instead of bending, breaks." (Ludwig Wittgenstein) We come across those from time to time who are just "un-bendable". They refuse any advice to do something a different way, determining their way is best of all, despite their lack of progress or inefficiencies. When we face these individuals, what is our reaction to their determination to "not bend"? It may be that we dig in our heels a little bit harder and try to make the point a little louder or with more determination ourselves. It could also be that we shake our heads, turn away, and just leave them to their own self-directed course. Either way, we do little to influence their unyielding determination. What they may ultimately require is the touch of God's hand in their lives, bringing such a "storm" as to bend them to the point they actually break.

While this is never the ideal, the broken tree can often be "re-birthed" - it just is left with very noticeable scars. I have a Palo Verde that backs up to my property that is constantly being whipped to and fro in the winds of the monsoons. Inevitably, there is a time when one or more of those branches gets broken off, splintering and tearing deeply at the soft green bark and yellow heart of the tree. That exposed area subjects the tree to disease, with the entrance of dust and bugs, water and debris. If the tree is lucky, it develops a way to heal, but the area where the branch was rent from the tree is forever noticeable. Some of the other trees on the same street have not weathered well those winds. They have been uprooted, left to the fate of being cut into firewood and hauled to the dump. 

Either way, these trees, while appearing strong, revealed there true "weakness" in the midst of the storm. The most versatile of tree isn't the one that is unyielding to the winds, but the one that is able to sway, giving way to the winds and allowing those winds to pass through their boughs without stressing them to the point of breaking. Their roots aren't superficial, and their boughs aren't spindly. I have pines in my yard and a couple of elms. Their branches might get whipped by the winds, but they remain intact. Their roots can be found yards and yards away from their base - making their anchorage broad and strong. I have had to "correct" the growth of these trees from time to time by anchoring them with stakes and binding their branches with ropes. In the end, they have become stronger and more able to endure the storms.

Rather than standing all proud and unyielding when the times comes for us to be "corrected" in our growth, wouldn't it be much better to endure the "harassment" of the stakes and binding ropes than to give way to the "renting" power of the stormy winds? Just askin?

Sitting up straight, feet both planted

Back in the day, when learning how to type in one of my high school classrooms, I remember having to bring this list of supplies to the class.  We had to buy a ream of white typing paper (not the kind you put through the copy machine, but the real stuff), a pack of carbon paper (something most kids today have no idea about), and a couple of special erasers with the little brush on the end to correct any mistakes you'd make.  One of the rules we learned was how to handle the "erasures" or "corrections".  If we scrubbed too hard with the eraser, we'd make a hole in the paper.  Too inadequately and we'd have a tell-tale correction.  Then there was this whole rule about not allowing all those eraser "flakes" to fall into the typewriter.  Trust me - I was glad when they invented white-out!  I became a good typist pretty quickly and this was probably because dad had an old manual typewriter I could practice on at home. Yet, no matter how "good" I became, I made mistakes which required correction.  Not only in where the fingers hit the keys causing key-strike type errors, but in my posture!  The teacher would come up behind me, put her fingers between my shoulder blades and poke.  Why?  I was supposed to have excellent posture - somehow making me type with proficiency and speed!  Then there was this rule I was frequently corrected on - the one about keeping both feet on the ground while you type - as though the stability this gave would keep the typewriter and you firmly planted on good old terra-firma!  Despite all the correcting in my three years of office machine classes, guess how my feet are today.  You got it - crossed, lazily slung under the desk - and my posture isn't much better!  The "correction" just didn't "stick".  Sometimes we are like that - we just don't understand or accept the value in the correction, so we don't "stay corrected".

Some people refuse to bend when someone corrects them. Eventually they will break, and there will be no one to repair the damage. (Proverbs 29:1 ERV)

It probably doesn't matter a hill of beans that my "typing posture" is poor these days (even though my typing teacher is probably rolling over in her grave).  It probably doesn't improve my typing for me to sit up straight and firmly plant the feet on the ground - but on occasion I still find myself "correcting" my posture as I remember the "rules" I was taught.  It just doesn't stay "fixed".  It does matter when I cut corners in my relationships, getting sloppy in my "posture" I assume within them.  It does matter when I don't see the value in listening to the still, small voice prompting me to avoid some hazard in my life. It does matter when I refuse to listen to the sage counsel of a good friend who is really looking out for my best interest when advice is offered.  Some correction is just meant to "stick" and to have this "teflon-experience" where it really matters is just not going to cut it in the long run.

The saddest part of refusing correction, or thinking it just won't make any difference to do something a different way, is that we miss out on things we just don't realize we miss.  It is like when I saw this viral video about a guy on his sailboat out in the ocean, focusing so intently on what was on his smart phone that he missed the whales breaching right in front of him.  Now, mind you, I may not be this "unconscious" of my typing posture, but it is close to that at times!  One day we may be so caught up in what seems important at the moment and miss the stuff which really matters.  This is the danger of not receiving the "little corrections" along the way.  In the course of time, the little corrections rejected become the big mistakes made!

To refuse correction is a dangerous place to find oneself occupying.  It is like being in the territory of an hungry alligator with nothing more than a bag of dried peas and a large straw.  You might be able to propel a few peas toward the this hungry beast, but all you are doing is annoying the heck out of it! Eventually all your best effort to ward off its attack will be for naught.  The thing will likely rise up and do you some serious harm!  Things we refuse to correct in life are kind of like the hungry alligator in our lives - they will eventually get the upper hand.  When they do, it is sometimes the hardest thing to walk away from "unaffected".  Most of the time we suffer significant injury or loss.

If we want to refuse to heed advice and counsel, we must be prepared for the consequences which will come.  Sometimes the smallest of corrections gets us a whole lot closer to ending up where we wanted to be in life than refusing these small corrections.  It is much easier to correct things before they become habit, but it isn't impossible to make those corrections of a habit - it just takes a little more effort and determination.  Just sayin!

Okay, so I stand corrected!

Correction:  Something that is substituted or proposed for what is wrong or inaccurate; an adjustment made in order to increase accuracy; the reversal of a trend.  Most of us think of correction as the punishment we receive which is intended to put us back on the right course.  In essence, this is only one definition of the term - but the idea is that of "substituting" one behavior for another in order to get a different outcome.  In other words, if we continue doing the same thing, we will always get what we have always gotten!  So, correction is designed to help us do something "differently" in order to change the outcome. 

Accept correction, and you will find life; reject correction, and you will miss the road. You can hide your hatred by telling lies, but you are a fool to spread lies. You will say the wrong thing if you talk too much—so be sensible and watch what you say. The words of a good person are like pure silver, but the thoughts of an evil person are almost worthless. Many are helped by useful instruction,
but fools are killed by their own stupidity. (Proverbs 10:17-21 CEV)

"Accepting" correction is the biggee, right?  We think we can fix ourselves, but let me just pose this question to you:  "If you got yourself into the mess, what makes you think you are going to be any good at getting yourself out of it?"  The truth is, we got into the mess because we had blinders on, causing us to only see what we wanted to see; or we were so "open minded" we forgot to really think through what we were doing in the first place.  The way "in" is not always the way "out", and we don't always realize just how we got to where we are at today!  We need to have blinders removed - so we sometimes need someone on the "outside" of the mess we are in to actually help us see where the blinders have limited our focus.  We also need someone to clearly delineate the path for us to follow, because the ones we have been choosing are just riddled with messiness!

Fools are killed by THEIR OWN stupidity - not the stupidity of others!  We sometimes think we can put the blame for our missteps on others, but truth be told, we took those steps on our own!  When "useful instruction" comes our way, it takes quite a brave man or woman to actually embrace it and turn away from the folly of our ways.  Bravery?  Do I really mean bravery?  Yep, because bravery is the willingness to challenge the norm - to dare to be different from what we have always been.  Bravery stands up to the wrong we have created in our minds and dares to think differently.  Most of our missteps in life are simply because we have embraced some type of "errant' belief.  In turn, we act upon that errant though pattern and we find ourselves "missing the road" we should actually have traveled!

A couple of things our passage points out about when or where we need "correction" most in our lives:

- When we are clearly on a path which will do us harm in anyway. Sometimes we just choose the wrong way - either because of our own lack of investigation into the pathway we are traveling, or because we have given into some form of peer pressure and just idly go that way.  Either way, we need someone's help and truth to get us back on course.  When I am lost on the roadways on some journey I am on, I don't just drive round and round.  I pull over, look again at the map, and then ask directions.  What I am doing is referencing "truth" (the map) and getting counsel (asking for directions).  We all need to stop on occasion to be sure our actions are in alignment with the Word of God and to check our steps with others who are in intimate relationship with Jesus.  In turn, we often will save ourselves many a misstep!

- When we are not speaking the truth (even those half-truths).  If we are allowed to continue in our untruths, we will see what my mom always referred to as the "snowball" effect.  One lie leads to another and then another.  In time, this "little white lie" which seemed kind of harmless when we told it becomes this huge mountain of a lie because we have to keep telling one lie after another to back up the first lie we told!  We often need someone to "call us out" on the truth - it could save us a whole lot of misery in the end.

- When we are using words without thinking them through before we speak them.  None of us speaks without thinking, right?  We always "filter" our words before we speak them, right?  Ummm....unless I am speaking to the angels of heaven right now, I think not!  Most of the time, we are more prone to babbling on without really considering the weight or impact of our words - even idle words spoken in banter or chit-chat.  Fools babble on - wisdom determines the value of the words before they are spoken!

- When we are giving into our idle thoughts.  Idle thoughts get us on wrong paths.  Fools just give into passive thought - feelings dictating what they do rather than rational thought. To rely upon our feelings will always get us into the messy places in life.  So, learning to "tune in" a little more to our thoughts, allowing the Holy Spirit to "right" them when they are getting a little too "free-form" will save us a whole lot of idle wandering down roads best left untraveled in the first place!  Just sayin!

May I have a word with you?

Monty Python once said, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will make me go in a corner and cry by myself for hours."  Sure, he wasn't a great theologian or deep-thinking philosopher of our time, but these words are profound nonetheless.  The old adage "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" really is not true, is it?  Sticks and stones may do physical harm - injuries which are apparent on the "outside" of a man. Words have a way of doing emotional and spiritual damage - injuries which are not as apparent because they occur "within" the man.  Maybe this is why there is repeated reminders about the importance of our words - for what gets spoken has a potential of leaving us broken.  You can quote me on that!

Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach; good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.  Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.  (Proverbs 18:20-21 MSG)

You have all probably heard the term "constructive criticism", right?  Now, just how many of you have any idea what that term means?  If you break it down, criticism is really the act of passing judgment as to the "merits" of anything - whether it is a particular action, inaction, or way a person is made up.  So, tell me, how do we do this without being "destructive"?  Look it up - criticism is any action of fault-finding.  There isn't much "constructive" in criticism!  There is a fine line between sharing "good talk" which will yield a "good harvest" and being "critical" in our words.  We need to learn the difference if we are to guard our relationships and continue to grow within them.

Words must be tempered in love - they are to be spoken only if they can build another up in the process.  Not every thought is meant to be spoken - because our "heart" can be a little fickle at times and what comes out may not be a "tempered" as it should be.  The word "tempered" carries the idea of something being brought to a proper or suitable state by "blending" in that which will give strength and stability.  If our words are "tempered" with love, they are less likely to bring devastation - they will lend strength to the relationship and stability.  To do this, we have to accurately interpret the needs of the other person - something we don't do if we speak before we think, or don't truly listen before we speak.

The words we actually speak will become the words we live with.  Chew on that one just a bit and you might just begin to recognize some the "harvest" you have been reaping is a direct result of the words you have been speaking. Can anyone else besides me say, "Ouch"?  Yep, we often do a lot more than we think in "creating the environment we live in" through the words we speak. This "environment" is a product of our lips - what gets spoken has no way of ever being truly "taken back".  Three questions we can quickly as ourselves before speaking which may go a long way in ensuring the words we speak will be more "constructive" and less "destructive":  Is it true?  Is it necessary?  Is it kind?

In relationships, problems have a way of arising, don't they?  When they do, how we "speak into" the relationship matters.  Honesty is a good policy, but it needs to be tempered with love.  We have to be kind in the relationship, but truthful at the same time.  Flattery doesn't get us anywhere - it only masks the issues at hand.  Yet we gravitate toward flattery rather than being honest in love.  A spoken reprimand is an act of love and a sign of true friendship. Some of us just need to hear how our actions have been affecting the other person in the relationship - but do this in love.  Don't accuse.  Don't use the "you always" statement.  Don't blame.  Share honestly, keeping a watchful eye on the words which are not being spoken, and then work together to communicate what is deeper than surface level.  

We have to learn to "process" the conflict in relationships or we will get nowhere.  Actually, where conflict exists, this is the place love really exists - because the absence of conflict really is not love.  Now, I probably just got a few of you upset with that statement, but if you really think about it, when there is no conflict, someone is not being honest in the relationship.  No relationship is SO good it will be totally conflict free.  Conflict actually is this process of iron sharpening iron scripture speaks about.  As we share what is bothering us within relationship, we have an opportunity to grow together into a stronger bond.  This takes commitment - conflict is not entered into lightly and it is never truly "over" until each party feels it is.  This is why it is so important to be sure we are truthfully "processing" conflict as it occurs - until both parties can say with an assurance they are "over" what caused the conflict in the first place.

Here are some rules I think might just help us in choosing our words wisely:

- Compliment in public; correct in private.  If we'd live by this rule, we might just save ourselves a lot of heartache.
- Pick your timing carefully.  Nothing is worse than being "out of sync" when you need to have that "crucial conversation".  
- You may only give correction to the same degree you have a depth of connection in the relationship.  In other words, if there is no depth of connection, the correction is not likely going to be received well.
- It is important to remain teachable.  Teachable moments only occur when someone is willing to teach and the other is willing to accept the teaching. Mom used to say, "If you are going to give it out, you have to be willing to receive it in return."  She is indeed a wise woman!  Sometimes we need a little correction, as well.  The teacher has to be willing to be the student, as well.  Just sayin!

Uh, oh! Another storm tossed journey!

Storm:  A disturbance of the normal condition.  Pretty much sums up most of life for some folks today, huh?  No matter which way they look, everything about their "normal" is in a place of disturbance!  "Normal" is no longer smooth sailing with calms seas and pretty skies above.  "Normal" is really pretty rocky waters, waves almost overwhelming you so as to affect your ability to stay upright, and torrential downpours which just seem to add to the problems at hand.  What we do in the midst of the storm often is our best defense against the storm!

Next day, out on the high seas again and badly damaged now by the storm, we dumped the cargo overboard. The third day the sailors lightened the ship further by throwing off all the tackle and provisions. It had been many days since we had seen either sun or stars. Wind and waves were battering us unmercifully, and we lost all hope of rescue.  With our appetite for both food and life long gone, Paul took his place in our midst and said, “Friends, you really should have listened to me back in Crete. We could have avoided all this trouble and trial. But there’s no need to dwell on that now. From now on, things are looking up! I can assure you that there’ll not be a single drowning among us, although I can’t say as much for the ship—the ship itself is doomed.  (Acts 27-18-22 MSG)

If you haven't read this entire chapter, you might just find it helpful to define some things you should "NOT" do in the midst of the storm.  It also does a good job of telling us the things we are supposed to do in the midst of the raging storms which disturb our "normal" in life!  So, hold on, we are gonna navigate these rocky waters together...

The storm might just have come because we weren't listening too well to God in the first place.  If you have ever felt that little "niggling" to NOT do something, but then just went right on ahead and set your sails in that direction, you probably have encountered some rough seas as a result!  Truth be told, we all are guilty of taking some courses in life God would have rather seen us leave as "uncharted"!

Too many times all we focus on in the storm is the storm itself - the winds billow, the choppy seas rock us beyond comfort, and the grey skies just make it hard to see any hope of an end.  Nothing discourages our hearts more than having the wrong focus in life.  Get your eyes on the bad stuff and you will see only the bad stuff.  Get your eyes focused on Jesus and you will begin to see a glimmer of light just beckoning you out of the storm.

Some things we see from the 27th chapter of Acts about what it is we MUST do in the midst of the storm seem pretty easy, but in reality are almost always NOT the way we respond to the storm.  So, if we learn these truths, recall them the next time the seas get a little choppy, we might just fair the storm a little better!

- First things first - remember who is in control of the storm.  It is not you!  God controls the storm.  We cannot try to maintain control of the storm - it is like bailing with a teaspoon!  We will never be able to keep up or resist the force of the storm if we want to maintain control.  Some of us think giving up control means we are weak and incapable - the opposite is quite true, for it takes a tremendous degree of strength and commitment to actually turn the helm over to God!

- Second, get rid of the excess stuff you are carrying around.  Look at what these guys did - they threw stuff overboard which really was not crucial to their survival.  Sometimes we hold onto stuff in our lives like our lives depended upon it.  When we are in the midst of the storm, we actually could do some soul-searching to see just how much of this "baggage" we are carrying around with us is really not necessary for us to keep holding onto!  Our baggage comes in all shapes and sizes, but suffice it to say, the stuff we carry often weighs us down much more than we realize.  Things like unforgiveness, pettiness, resentment, anger, etc. - they weigh you down and will actually serve to capsize your ship in the storm.

- Third, there is absolutely no place for pride in the midst of the storm.  When pride is on board - you won't want to give up control, nor will you want to ever part with your "precious baggage".  Pride is a killer in the midst of the storm.  It tells us it can "manage", but in truth, it can only manipulate - change direction this way or that for a while, but in the end, you don't escape the storm, you just sail around it in a whole lot longer!

- Fourth, we find there are some storms we just cannot escape, so the best we can do is maintain our focus and ride them out hand-in-hand with Jesus.  There might be some correction God asks for on our part, but when all is said and done, he remains in control and will bring the storm to an end when the storm has done its work.  Storms have a way of stirring things up, clearing things away, and revealing what has previously been hidden.  Just let the storm do its work and stop resisting it.

- Last, but definitely not least, you don't leave the ship!  You won't fair well in the waters - so don't think things will be better if you just leave where it is you are experiencing the greatest tossing and turbulence.  The tossing of the seas is no less in the swirling seas of the circumstances!  Just take hold of what is underneath you at the moment - it is God's vessel, he controls its course, and he will bring you to the place you can safely get on solid ground again.  Just sayin!

Need a good mechanic?

Correction:  a substitute for what is wrong or inaccurate.  Sometimes we find ourselves in a little need of correction, huh?  Maybe it is not so much being completely wrong, but it is a sense of "inaccuracy" in our lives which gets us going in the wrong direction.  It is kind of like only seeing half of a room and then thinking the other half is a mirror image of the half we can see.  Wouldn't we be surprised to turn around and see the room we thought was filled with beautiful artwork also contained a few corpses?  Correction puts things in the right framework - gives us the right perspective when what we have been pursuing is just a little inaccurate.  It also gives us a swift kick in the seat when what we have been pursuing is totally and completely wrong!

I know, God, that mere mortals can’t run their own lives, that men and women    don’t have what it takes to take charge of life.  So correct us, God, as you see best.  (Jeremiah 10:23-24 MSG)

Jeremiah is pretty straight with God.  They have been having this dialogue about the condition of Judah - some are in outright rebellion against what God had instructed while others are merely a little off-course and could be set back on course with only the slightest correction.  If you have ever taken your hands of the wheel in your car to see if your car will "drift" a little to the right or left, you probably did it to see if your wheels were aligned.  Why?  Aligned wheels get better wear, don't cause as much effort in the driving, and just keep us on course better.  If you have ever been distracted by something flying around in the car, swatting furiously at the thing trying to shoo it out the window, you might just have experienced the sudden need to "jerk" your car back into your own lane!  Both of these require correction - one is immediate and the action required is well within your ability, the other requires expertise outside of your skill set.

There is a point in our lives when we must realize some of this stuff which needs correction in us is outside of our skill set!  We need to go to the one who knows best how to get it done!  Adjustment in course is part of life - sometimes we can do it because we just took our attention off the course a little.  At other times, we just need to admit to God the need for his help to sort out what the thing is which keeps us from being on course!  I can see the uneven wear on my tires.  I don't know whether it is too much tilt this way or than - they call these caster, camber, toe, and thrust angle.  Now, I could find that information on any search of the good old internet highway, but can I go out today and fix the alignment on my car?  Nope - I don't have the tools, know how about the right measurement to choose, or even the desire to get that dirty!  I take my car to the mechanic I trust because he can set these things all in right order and in less time than I could ever do it.

There are times when we don't have the tools spiritually.  We need something outside of our "regular" tool set we have come to rely upon.  These are times when we might just need to go to someone of greater spiritual maturity than ourselves.  They might just possess the tool God designed to be used to correct whatever is out of alignment in our lives.  There are other times when we need some alone time with the Great Mechanic, God himself.  In those moments, he sets about to correct what causes us great "drift", excessive "wear and tear", and even a little "discomfort" in our travels.

Have you ever let a gentle correction go unheeded?  I have!  I have come out in the morning to a small indicator light on showing my tire pressure low.  Well, I thought it meant it was low, not flat as a pancake!  I drove a couple of miles to the nearest gas station, not realizing the tire had about zero air in it.  Guess what?  I not only could not maintain the air pressure in this tire, I needed a totally new one because I damaged the sidewall by driving on it!  Some of us don't heed the gentle corrections.  When we don't, the more "robust" correction may be needed.  I could have called AAA before I left the house to change the tire and put on my spare - if I had looked at what the warning light was trying to say to me.  I could have saved myself about a hundred bucks if I had.  The tire swap with the spare would have been relatively cheap compared to the ultimate problem of having to replace the entire tire, especially since my AAA was paid up and the tire change would have only cost me a little time!

As much as we don't like correction, if we ignore the warnings long enough, the damage caused by our unwillingness to accept the correction will far outweigh the small investment of our time, energies, and focus to pay attention in the first place!  Just sayin!

Litmus Test

 ¹ If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it— how shortsighted to refuse correction! 

(Proverbs 12:1 The Message)

If you've read even one of my blog posts, you will know that I love to learn new meaning of words, explore how things work, and to simply understand the "why" behind things.  I have a mind that works almost all the time - finding myself awaking in the night hours with ideas for the next blog, "fixes" to something that is needing my attention at work or at home, etc.  I have had friends ask, "Don't you every just 'shut-off' and chill?"  I guess that I'd have to say that I do, but it is just like taking a dimmer switch and turning down the "intensity" a little!  The light just never is completely shut off!

The passage today deals with a "test" - kind of like a little litmus test - to be able to tell if we really love being a disciple of Christ.  The first part of this verse is the "set up", or the condition we look to have answered by the end of the verse.  In other words, the writer 'sets up' the question:  Do you love learning?  Then gives us the 'evidence' that we do:  Then you love the discipline and correction that goes with it!  So, the 'litmus test' confirms our commitment to being a disciple of Christ by the attitude we take toward correction.

Uh oh!  Now I have gone to meddling a little!  Yep, just like Jesus goes to "meddling a little" in our minds and hearts!  The simple truth is quite evident - Jesus wants us to equate his discipline (correction) with his love.  Before I go any further, let me just say that many have a negative perception of "discipline".  This may be as a result of some authority figure using very negative and hurtful means to "discipline" in our past.  If that is the case, let me assure you that God's discipline is not like that.  In fact, his discipline embraces us - it never drives us away.  His discipline guides us - it does not make unrealistic demands of us.  His discipline is meant for correction - not to diminish us or release his anger in outbursts of emotion.

The discipline of discipleship begins with a change of mindset and heart-set.  As we begin to step out in obedient trust that God intends for "good" to be the outcome of our steps, we begin to encounter things in our past that affect the way we think and act in our present.  We call this "awareness".  We begin to sense that the "old way" of responding, the "practiced" way of responding, to things that life sends our way may not always be the desired way to handle them.  For example, the tendency to get caught up in office gossip is an alluring part of our past.  As we begin to grow in Christ, that tendency to gossip brings with it a little "twinge" of guilt (a feeling that something is not quite right).  The more we spend time with Jesus, the more we become aware that this "habit" of our past is not to be the "pattern" of our present.

Our mind is being challenged to think differently and our heart is being softened by the presence of the Spirit of God within us.  As this occurs, we begin to associate the "twinges of guilt" with loving urges to not engage in those things that God declares to be sinful, unwise for our lives, or simply just not wholesome.  As our love for Jesus' best in our lives grows, so does our desire to respond to his corrective leading.  If you really want to "test" if you are growing in Christ, you simply have to look at how you are responding to his correction!

Corrected Courses

¹⁷ The road to life is a disciplined life;
   ignore correction and you're lost for good. 

(Proverbs 10:17 The Message)

Not too many of us embrace discipline very willingly.  As a matter of fact, we probably chafe a little under it!  We often think that someone is being too harsh in their "judgment" of us and we want to rationalize why it is that we are the way we are.  The proverb is pretty plain about this, though.  If we want to really live well, it is done by having a disciplined life.  If we ignore correction, we face the inevitability of a whole lot of wrong turns!

Since the advent of GPS devices for our smart-phones and cars, most of us have given up the old way of "navigating" to an unfamiliar destination.  My parents traveled in a recreational vehicle for about six years after their retirement.  Mom's "duty" was as "navigator".  She had a huge box of maps - one for each state, and even some for Canada.  To be truthful, I think they are still in my garage.  The thing about printed maps is that they are only as good as the paper they are printed on.  They don't "update" with new road development, construction detours, and the like.  Since they don't "update", they become obsolete quite quickly.

There are times that I think we want to rely upon God's Word to help us with the decisions we need to make in life.  The times when we are struggling with an addictive habit, we turn to the Word to find the help we need to break free of that habit.  Perhaps we are trying to make a decision about our future, seeking knowledge about God's will for our lives.  We turn to the Word for something that looks like the "road" we are traveling on today.  Then there are times that we simply want to "update" God's Word to "fit" the direction we are headed in life - making it "fit" where we are at rather than us learning to be "fit" by the Word.

The truth is that the Word of God is only one "tool" that God uses to keep us on course with him.  A disciplined life incorporates all the tools God provides - the Word, the good teaching of solid believers, wise counsel, and the directing of the Holy Spirit.  When ALL these tools are put to use in our lives, there are times of "correction" that occur.  It is like the GPS "re-directing" us onto the path that we need to be following.  If we ignore being "re-directed" long enough, we find ourselves in a real muddle.

No matter where we are in our walk with Christ, we all need some correction once in a while.  Sometimes our impulsiveness has us ACTING before we really take any time to THINK about what it is we are doing.  If we'd slow down long enough, listening to the direction we are receiving, we might just avoid some of the actions that cause us so much grief.  

Here is a little hint of what a disciplined life is like:

Dedicated to God's purposes

Intent on serving him

Simple, not over-complicated by the muddle of life

Connected with others of like faith

Indwelt by the Holy Spirit

Praise filled

Limitless in possibilities

Instructed in grace

Noticed by God

Encouragement to others in this walk with us

Determined toward obedience in every area of our life

Ignoring correction impacts each aspect.  When we ignore God's nudging to see his hand in our circumstance, we are determining to live by our own purposes.  When we seek our own way, we are no longer intent on serving only God - we allow self to become god in our lives.  Complicating our lives with too much activity, too much of anything, really only serves to keep us out of connections that we desperately need in order to be whole in Christ.  Ignoring the prompting voice of the Holy Spirit impacts our ability to praise - sin leads to guilt and we feel like we cannot move.  Openness to grace removes the guilt, but if we never learn the lessons of grace, we will not value what we have received.  God notices a heart that is turned to him, one that encourages others in their own walk of grace.  When he sees the determination of our hearts, he rewards the steps of obedience we take.

Just some thoughts of living a disciplined life this morning.  Our tendency to avoid discipline at all cost is only natural to us.  Once we embrace it as a way of life, the rewards are limitless.