Hebrews -- Holding on to JesusNäide

God’s Gift of Discipline

Most people don’t like discipline, especially when we’re young. There’s pain and discomfort associated with correction. We instinctively resist it, often doing whatever we can to avoid the sting of discipline and instead drifting toward whatever is most comfortable. Discipline can even feel like rejection or punishment, and very few people naturally welcome that feeling. But as we grow older and (hopefully) wiser, our perspective can begin to shift. We start to see the value in healthy discipline—like the kind that pushes us to exercise, study, work hard, save instead of spend, and break bad habits. We begin to recognize that discipline is not our enemy; it’s actually a tool that shapes and refines us into stronger, healthier, and more grounded individuals.

And yet, there is a discipline that goes even deeper, one that touches not just our bodies or habits, but our souls. The author of Hebrews encourages us to view all of life’s trials, hardships, and painful seasons as discipline from a loving Father (Hebrews 12:5–11). The circumstances may not always be our fault. They may not even be a direct result of anything we’ve done. But that’s not the point. What matters is how we choose to see those experiences, our perspective and how we respond to them.

If we view hardship merely as an obstacle, we’ll likely try to endure it with gritted teeth, hoping and praying it passes quickly. But if we learn to see hardship as discipline, everything changes. Now, that season becomes fertile ground for spiritual growth. It becomes a refining fire that molds us more and more into the image of Christ. Instead of becoming bitter, numb, or cynical, we can become softer toward God and more dependent on His guidance and grace. We can either go through the trial, or we can grow through the trial. The choice is ours. No one else can make that decision for us.

Sometimes, discipline doesn’t even come in the form of divine correction. It may look more like abuse, manipulation, or betrayal. These situations are even harder to endure, and they test the deepest parts of our faith. But even then, God is still able to use those experiences, not as His tools of punishment, but as opportunities to lead us to a place of greater strength, healing, and spiritual maturity. What others meant for evil, God can still use for good (Genesis 50:20). A powerful benefit of this mindset is that it guards our hearts against bitterness. Bitterness is subtle, but it corrodes the soul. It grows when we rehearse our hurts, hold on to unforgiveness, and refuse to let go of what’s been done to us. But remembering the grace that God has extended to us helps us begin to extend that same grace toward others, even the undeserving. Just as Christ loved us while we were still sinners, we’re called to love those who may never repay or apologize, and in that way the bitterness can turn to sweetness.

Hebrews 12 ends with a sobering and powerful image: “Our God is a consuming fire” (v. 29). That’s not just poetic language. It speaks of the holiness, purity, and power of God. Fire is dangerous, but it’s also beautiful. It can burn, but it can also warm. It can destroy, but it can also purify. Just like discipline, it depends on how we interact with it. Throughout Scripture, God has revealed Himself through fire. It’s symbolic of His nature. He consumed Elijah’s sacrifice on Mount Carmel. He filled Solomon’s temple with fire from heaven. And ultimately, He poured out the fire of His judgment, not on us, but on His own Son at the cross. Jesus absorbed the full weight of God’s holy fire, so that we, through Him, might be spared from judgment and refined instead of destroyed. The consuming fire that once meant destruction now becomes, for the believer, a source of purification, transformation, and holiness.

So whether you’re walking through hardship, facing discipline, or simply feeling the heat of life’s trials know this: God is not out to crush you. He is refining you. He is drawing you closer. He does not cause the tragedy, but He will use it. He did not cause the pain, but it can still have a purpose. His fire does not come to destroy you, but to burn away everything that keeps you from becoming who He created you to be.