WHACK!

My son Carter is really taking to his routine of a nap in the afternoon and sleeping through the night-- of course, kids need such a schedule to be well-rested, to develop mentally and physically, and.... give parents some sanity! In most cases he lays down, hugs his blanket, enjoys his binky, and falls asleep. In most cases. Then of course, there are those times that he's wound up, or his timing is off, or maybe he just doesn't want to go to sleep yet-- who knows the reason! He'll be in there talking to himself, pulling some books off the shelf, and eventually go into whining and whimpering. We go in at intervals and lay him down, talk soothingly, stroke his head, and cover him back up. Sometimes this works. But other times it just gets him more worked up and he starts wailing! As you can imagine, this is disruptive to the entire family, especially if our other son is sleeping. It's times like these that the only thing that works is if I go in to his room sternly, grab his thigh, and give it a little whack. Now I'm talking the kind of whack that makes noise more than it hurts-- it's just one, doesn't cause any harm, and it's to get his attention. I'm telling you, this kid has fallen down the steps of our patio without crying-- this definitely doesn't hurt! I cover him up, tell him "no, no- time to sleep" and walk out the door. Every time-- I'm telling you, every time-- he settles down within a minute and goes to sleep. The wanna-be whack is all it takes. Let's be real-- he's in bed; he knows he is supposed to lay there and go to sleep-- kids his age have these things figured out. But for whatever reason his agenda is different.
Hebrews 12:5-11 says, "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined, then you are illegitimate sons... but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Too often, people have a two-dimensional view of God as a distant blessing factory who is to give us those things we deem as desireable or what we deserve. And our first response is to doubt that God is with us or that God cares for us, and we even get mad at God because we're not having the blessed life we think we should have. How many people do you know that have been upset with God yet are living a lifestyle that does not honor Him? Now, I'm not saying that every negative thing that happens in life is because God is disciplining us. People get sick. People inflict evil on others-- but what I am saying is that the Bible is clear that like a father who loves his child enough to set limits and enforce them, God all the more stands by the parameters He set. See, the world's damaging definition of love is one of permissiveness and indulgence. And we shudder when we see the results of this kind of parenting in the grocery store and malls! Real love is willing to allow temporary discomfort to develop character and righteousness. So sometimes the hardships and pain in our lives has nothing to do with our spiritual condition-- but sometimes it does. The question is, are you humble, honest, and open enough to examine yourself first before you put God on trial? Because sometimes, although we know God's standard, we know what He expects, and we even know that what He requires of us is out of love and for our own good, we don't do as we should. So should we be surprised when sometimes we get a WHACK to get our attention? Or should we be grateful? God is more concerned with our holiness than our happiness-- because He loves us enough to hold us accountable. Any "happiness" that comes from sin is temporary and will come with consequence-- God wants us to avoid that and choose Him. He knows the joy that comes from holiness is eternal. What parent would want less for a son or daughter?