I can only draw stick figures – art has never been my forte. I do, however, sometimes use those stick figures to create a visual conceptualization of something I am trying to teach in a class setting. Imagine, if you will, a simple line drawing of a person several inches tall. Create a horizontal arrow several inches long immediately to the right of your person pointing to another stick figure. Following the second "person" is another arrow, and following that arrow is the non-artist’s visual depiction of God, a sketchy "cloud" with bold block letters that say, "GOD." Within all this "artistry" is a basic concept that reminds us that if I desire to reach another individual with spiritual truth, I must first of all create a connection with that person. My "methodology" of connection will vary according to the uniqueness of the individual, but the message of truth that I desire to share is a constant, although still relevant to the need of the individual. The process being described is both motivated and given impetus by my love for the individual I am concerned about. It says to that person, "You matter, and I care about you." The whole process has as its purpose to help move the one I care about to a place where she will both hear and embrace the truth that God has something better for her.

 

Love is a powerful motivator for change, and love is the motivation behind and the impetus of actualization for the changes God desires in our lives. It is because God loves us and because He loves us with all the perfections of His Fatherhood that He desires change in our lives – change that will embrace the "better" He has for us. One of the ways in which God expresses such a love is through disciplining us. Punishment is merely punitive and God does not "punish" His children. Punishment would serve to satisfy God’s holiness, but for the believer, Christ already took our "punishment" and satisfied the holiness of God. Discipline, on the other hand, has its purpose in teaching us God’s better way and helps us to pursue that better way. Discipline catches our attention, teaches us, shapes us, and helps us to share more fully in God’s righteousness – not positionally, because that is a gift that already belongs to us, but experientially, that we would reflect His righteousness in our daily lives. Discipline thus becomes an expression of God’s love for us.

Not every difficulty, tragedy, or frustration in my life is God’s discipline. Bad things do happen to good people because we live in a broken world, and sometimes God is simply allowing certain circumstances because He wants to reveal Himself through me to others. We can be encouraged though knowing that God’s love for us as His children is always behind His discipline. It is God’s heart wanting so much more for us that He will connect with us within the uniqueness of our own personhood, and say, "You matter, and I care about you."