"Is it discipline?" One of the first questions you need to ask when facing a stressful situation. Often God will allow a difficult situation to blow against your house to discipline you toward maturity. Like a good parent disciplines their child so the Lord will discipline us.
Hebrews 12 offers a perfect picture of how discipline can help us grow in Christlike maturity. The Apostle Paul quotes the Proverb, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
What is interesting about this statement is the word rebuke, which means to expose, bring to light, and proving. This is true of stress - it exposes our weakness and reveals the strength of our faith.
Hebrews 12 uses the template of parenting to describe the discipline of the Lord and this Sunday is perfect to address this comparison because we are dedicating several parents and children to the Lord. Parenting is described by the Chinese as a tension between danger and opportunity. How true. Parenting is a dangrous occuption, the risk of success is huge, and the opportunity is great. I came across 10 tips for parenting this week in my study:
10 Tips for Stress-less Parenting
1. All kids can and do misbehave.
2. There are no perfect kids.
3. There are no perfect parents.
4. Parenting is a short season of your life.
5. Physical affection is therapeutic; give and receive hugs.
6. See humor (somewhere) in each situation.
7. Take a break. Exercise, listen to soothing music, read a passage from the Bible, or enjoy a cup of coffee.
8. Talk to other parents to ease frustration.
9. Overlook some behaviors.
10. Take comfort in knowing that the Perfect Parent (God) is available to help you. He has children who are out of control too.
If you are looking to be strengthened by stress, then you need to ask the Lord to show you how He may be using hardship to discipline you to maturity (don't get stressed out).
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