Did your parents ever discipline you and say something about how this hurt them more than it would hurt you?
Mine did.
Have you ever said something along this line to your own children?
I have.
So, why do we discipline our children when we find it hurts us?
Because God says to. Don’t just take my word for it. Please read these words of God:
Proverbs 13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13; 23:14; 29:15; Hebrews 12:6-7
Now we’ve established that we discipline because God tells us to and because we love them.
I love Proverbs for its practical no-nonsense wisdom. One of the things it says is,
“A mocker resents correction. He will not consult the wise,” xxxxxx.
Then again in verse 5 God says,
“Whoever heeds correction shows prudence.”
You’ll find this three times in this single chapter (check out verse 32). And, unlike me, He doesn’t forget what He already said so He is repeating the message for our benefit. He really wants us to sit up and listen! He’s saying, “If you’re smart, you’ll listen to challenges and then take action.
Yesterday I was riding with one of the children and we had a little fender bender because the other car was in our blind spot. We couldn’t see them.
It’s not just in our vision from our vehicles that we have blind spots.
You and I have them too. We have blind spots when looking at ourselves.
And, here’s God saying more than once, so that you’re sure to catch it, to listen to criticisms because we have a weakness we need to see in spite of our blind spot.
Often our problems are such a part of us and we’re so used to acting that way that we can’t even see our own problems. But, God wants us to see our blind spots so we don’t have fender benders, or, even worse, damaging accidents.
Thus, two-legged mirrors are someone who loves us enough to speak truth to us.
Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
Sometimes, though, that sharpening of our countenance doesn’t come from somebody we count as a friend. God uses anyone to accomplish what he wants so even a part of what they say may be true. Consider the words, not the one who said them and look for truth. If they’re partly wrong and partly right, don’t throw out the baby with the bath water, and listen to what God is saying.