징계 (Discipline) and Breaking

무릇 징계가 당시에는 즐거워 보이지 않고 슬퍼 보이나 그로 말미암아 연단한 자에게는의의 평강한 열매를 맺나니. (히 12:11)

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. (Hebrews 12:11)

O break my heart; but break it as a field
Is by the plough up-broken for the corn;
O break it as the buds, by green leaf seated,
Are, to unloose the golden blossom, torn;
Love would I offer unto Love's great Master,
Set free the odor, break the alabaster.
(Thomas Toke Bunch)

I've believed a lie. So subtly that Enemy crept up and quietly suggested that I am alone; that even God, who knows and loves me best, has little concern for how I feel or what I want. Oh, foolish that I believed it, but I did! Though my mind struggled against it, I kept it in my heart. The truth is, I am never alone! There is One who always sits with me, walks beside me, works along with me. He is Jesus. He is always with me, and I am never alone.

Sometimes God's discipline is hard, but let us take care to remember that it is never harsh. He is gentle, with a heart that is the origin of the ideas of "father" and "mother". Though He disciplines, he is tender-hearted. He not only pities us - he created us and loves us and seeks our good and our joy. Who taught us that love delights to give? Make no mistake - our God is kind.