Disciplined HOPE

He that refuseth instruction (reject discipline) despiseth his own soul (harms himself): but he that heareth reproof (listens to correction) getteth (grows in) understanding.

Proverbs 15:32

As a former school principal, I know a thing or two (or three) about discipline. I still have nightmares when I think about the amount of bus referrals I processed as a wet-behind-the-ears assistant principal. Let’s face it… no one looks forward to discipline. Children get upset when their parents give them a “time out”. Students get annoyed when their teachers take away recess. Athletes grumble when their coaches bench them. And… employees don’t enjoy being evaluated by their bosses, especially when their evaluations are far from stellar.

When someone is critical toward us, it’s natural to feel hurt and even more natural to become angry or retaliate against the person giving us discipline or correction. However, the above Proverb is teaching us to do what is unnatural by keeping an eternal focus… a godly focus of disciplined HOPE. Proverbs 15:32 teaches us that we harm ourselves when we reject discipline, instruction, or correction. YIKES! Yet, when we listen to discipline, instruction, and correction, we grow in understanding. AMEN! I just love me some Proverbs wisdom… wisdom packed with a ton of HOPE!

When we experience discipline or correction, we have two choices to make. We can react with emotion that manifests anger, bitterness, and even revenge. Or… we can respond with an informational based mindset and ask God to search our heart to see if the discipline or correction is true. Choosing to react with emotion will cause us to stay stuck in negative feelings of anger, rooted in bitterness. On the other hand, choosing to respond with an informational approach results in an opposing outcome. Listening to and learning from the correction enables us to grow in our understanding of ourselves, along with the disciplinarian. One choice results in stagnation, the other in growth. One results in HOPElessness, the other results in HOPEful discipline.

When we invite God to reveal any truth to the discipline or correction, we take a disciplined approach and learn life-lessons. We allow God to correct our behavior, growing in our spiritual walk to be more like Jesus. If God reveals the correction we received wasn’t rooted in truth, we need to employ forgiveness and seek to understand the disciplinarian better. You see, whether the discipline is rooted in truth or not, we can still grow in our spiritual journey while learning about others in the process… that’s disciplined HOPE.

With God, we can turn all discipline, instruction, and correction to our good regardless of whether it is rooted in truth or not. With disciplined HOPE, we can turn a negative situation into a positive one… learning about others, ourselves, and gleaning life-lessons in the process. Yes, God works all things for good, even awkward moments involving discipline. Instead of getting bitter, we get better… feel better… act better. Now, that’s disciplined HOPE.

Ironically, while being disciplined is something we avoid like the plague, God encourages us to welcome it. God knows discipline will grow us while growing our faith and HOPE in Him. Wouldn’t it be something if we could go back and tell our two-year old selves sitting in time out or our nine-year old selves missing recess to use these as opportunities to grow? Leave it up to our amazingly ironic God to turn something we want to avoid into something we want to embrace. What we reject may cause us harm. What we embrace results in growth. Disciplined HOPE brings HOPE to every correction, turning it into a focus on God and His wisdom… His HOPE… sprinkled with some HOPEful discipline.

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins (mind) and my heart.

For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.

Psalm 26:2-3