Staying Close
Jeremiah 13:11 As a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the LORD. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory—an honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.
I know it is hard to believe, but at times my mother found it necessary to discipline me. She would grab the nearest implement to mete out a spanking: Hot Wheels tracks, belts, a Buick.
She would spank us by making us hold her hand, that way we couldn’t run away. My brothers always tried to run away from her when she spanked them this way. This is not a good maneuver. The last thing you want when you are being spanked is for your mom to have a wide arc to swing the belt.
I, on the other hand, was vastly superior to them in my strategy. I got as close to my mom as I could, thus cutting down her swinging stroke. The belt stung a little, but not much. The whole time she spanked me I cried as loud as I could. It cost me a little bit in pride but saved my behind.
Life is a lot like those spankings. I may or may not have deserved all the times when I got spanked, but I deserved many that I didn’t get, so it all balances out. All of us have times when we have to go to the woodshed. My mom didn’t spank me because she hated me (although I may have wondered at times), she spanked me because she loved me.
Just like me getting spanked, God created us to be close to him. Our problems come when we try to get away from Him. As my brothers found out, the swat gets harder the further you get from God. No matter where you go, God is there, so why try to get away?
Instead, be smart like me! When you are going through a time of discipline, get as close to God as you can. It stings a lot less and it gets over quicker. Remember, the purpose of the Lord’s discipline is to help you get better. You’re not going to improve on your own, so let Him help you. Listen to Him, find out what went wrong and let Him fix it. Trust me, it works!
Today’s Readings: Jeremiah 13-15; John 15
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