As a kid, I hated discipline.

I would run the other way to avoid the correction of my parents. I would fake being sick the night before school to escape the consequences I feared my teacher might give me for what I had done the day before. I would make excuses to avoid the guilt of skipping the gym. I would even sugarcoat instruction to my assistants so they wouldn’t think I was being “mean.”

But over time, I realized:

* Hating discipline is resisting the ways God is trying to teach me.

* Running from discipline is disobeying my parents.

* Avoiding discipline from teachers was a failure to respect my elders.

* Refusing to discipline myself in “hard” things only weakened me for the future.

* Sugarcoating instruction was leading others astray and weakening my team.

Scripture says in Hebrews 12:11:

“We do not enjoy being disciplined. It is painful at the time, but later, after we have learned from it, we have peace, because we start living in the right way.”

Isn’t that the truth?

As I reflect, I see how God has used discipline to shape me. I began to understand its goodness when I noticed how it changed lives for the better. Discipline forces us to choose: Will I accept it, or reject it? Will I humble myself, or cling to pride? Will I see it as God’s love, or as punishment?

The truth is, when God puts us in a season of discipline, it isn’t meant to be comfortable. His intention is not to hurt us but to train us, correct us, and grow us in godliness. The Lord disciplines us with love—love we often recognize only after we’ve endured it. And in the process, He teaches us how to discipline ourselves and how to guide others with grace and truth.

So let us not forget: we can thank God for discipline, or we can grow bitter in it. One leads to maturity, the other to misery.

Prayer

Lord my God, thank You for caring so deeply about me. Thank You, Jesus, for granting me the mind of Christ. I know I can turn to You in all situations—especially when I struggle to accept Your discipline. Help me remember that You correct me because You love me. Teach me daily to pick up my cross, die to my flesh, and follow You. Give me the strength to not only endure discipline but to embrace it, so I may grow into the likeness of Christ. Thank You, Lord, for always helping me when I am weak. Let me look to You in all that I do.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.