He Chastised Me In Love

I grew up as the only daughter of my parents. Being the last child and the only girl amongst my siblings, I naturally got more attention from both my parents, especially my dad. I had a blissful childhood. I was considered the apple of my father’s eye because he constantly showered me with love and care. I practically followed him everywhere he went, so much so that I was nicknamed “iyawo daddy” – which means “daddy’s wife.”

One time, he was attending a conference in an exotic hotel, and his invitation allowed him to bring one of his kids with him. It was such a prestigious conference, and my brothers longed to be there. I vividly remember the look on their faces when my dad announced that I was to be his companion for the trip. The jealousy was glaring in their eyes, and incidents gave a boost to my sense of importance towards my dad. I felt special.

Even on days when we erred, my father usually punished my brothers and spared me. On this particular weekend, my brothers and I were out late at night. I knew my parents were going to be mad, and I was initially scared that we were all going to be punished. However, I was surprisingly exempted from the wrath of my parents.

At the time, I failed to understand that my dad left me out because he expected my older brothers to be responsible for my well-being. I kept on living with the belief that nothing could come in between my father and I. Little did I know that that wouldn’t always be the case.

Everything changed when I was 10. I had bed-wetted while asleep, and I excitedly ran to my father’s room to inform him about it but I got the shock of my life. My dad spanked me. He spanked me so hard that I immediately started crying. I was perplexed. It was like a movie. It was not what I expected. I had thought he’d pat me on my back and tell me not to do it again.

From that day, I began to withdraw from my dad. However, everything returned to normal after I realised that his chastisement was a form of correction. He had warned me countless times against such behaviour, and I still repeated the act.

Well, dear brothers and sisters, there you have it. Have you ever thought of what it means to be a Father?

That is the REALITY OF FATHERHOOD. God is our heavenly Father, who loves us so much, but we sometimes forget one important side of His love and fatherhood: DISCIPLINE.

You may be wondering, What is discipline? Discipline means training. What is discipline not? Discipline is not punishment. God’s discipline is not a punishment or a death sentence for our sins. Sickness and diseases are not God’s disciplinary tools – God wouldn’t lay on us what He already laid on Jesus to bear for us. It is not God’s will for us to be ill. Hebrews 12: 5-11 explains the reason God disciplines us.

The first reason is that we are His CHILDREN, according to verses 7 and 8. The second and most important is for CONFORMITY. God’s Discipline is not without an ultimate goal: that we should be conformed and shaped adequately into His image of godliness and complete righteousness.

Thirdly, He knows there are habits, behaviours, and lifestyles that will not let us live the abundant Christian life that He has called us to. The enemy will continually throw us down if these things remain. And the last ‘why’ is that God’s discipline helps us become effective vessels in His hands. The degree to which we submit ourselves to transformation is the degree to which God can use us.

In Galatians 1:15-17, Apostle Paul, after his salvation, was sent to Arabia. God knew he had a lot to unlearn, learn and relearn. The same goes for king David in the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22). David came out a changed man. He wrote a lot of Psalms in that cave.

So how does God discipline us?

1. He sometimes allows certain trials and tribulations. 1 Peter 5:11, James 1:2-4, Romans 8:18. I once asked God to take me on the journey of faith and total trust in Him, and the Holy Spirit asked me if I was ready. He made me understand that what I requested for would come with some form of test to strengthen my faith.
2. He allows us to face the consequences of our wrongdoings, like King David when he took the wife of Uriah. (2 Samuel 12)
3. He uses the strong convictions of the Holy Spirit within us. ‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭24‬:‭10‬.

What should our response to God’s discipline be?

Remember the incident with my Dad right? I withdrew from him instantly, and whenever he came home from work or his trips, I would run out of the house angrily, not wanting to see him. That went on for a while, but it didn’t stop my Dad from buying me things, and in no time, we were close again. I’ve come to appreciate and respect my Dad as a father and understand that it was part of bringing me up the right way.

How does this relate to the discipline of our Heavenly Father? We need to learn to submit. To embrace God’s Discipline is to understand that He is loving and would never chastise us without reason. His discipline is to prune us so we can bear much fruit. God wants us to be everything we can potentially be, to amount to everything we could possibly amount to. This is why He sometimes pushes us out of our comfort zone, forces us to increase in stamina and capacity, love our enemies, and so on.

Dweller, when you hear His voice today, harden not your hearts…