Discipline

Passage: Hebrews 12:4-12

I recently finished reading Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy. The books are set in a dystopian world run by a totalitarian government. The government maintains order over its territories by holding an annual contest called (you guessed it) “the hunger games.” In each territory a lottery is held; two of the territory’s children are selected to compete in the games. And one more thing: the games are a fight to the death.

The books’ main character is a 16-year-old girl who volunteers to compete in the games in her younger sister’s place. She is prepared for the games by the one citizen of her territory who has survived a previous Hunger Games. He is a harsh taskmaster; his young protégé hates him for most of their coaching relationship. But once she’s in the games, she realizes something. Her mentor has never cared whether or not she likes him. What he has cared about is getting her through the games. He has been focused single-mindedly on one thing: saving her life. His harsh methods have served this singular purpose. After the fact, she appreciates her mentor and every expression of his “tough love.”

The author of Hebrews describes a God whose primary concern is this: saving our lives. In the pursuit of this end, God shapes us and strengthens us. God removes excess baggage. God puts us through disciplines that hurt us now, but serve an eternally good purpose. The promise of our faith is not that we will enjoy all of God’s work in our lives while he’s doing it, but rather that there will come a time when we look back and thank him for saving us.