Sometimes

Sometimes we need reminding.  There are times that I walk into a room to do something, but because I am thinking ahead to what I want to do next, I forget what it was I wanted first by the time I get there.  If I back track to the room I came from, I can generally remember what I was doing in the first place.  If nothing goes wrong in my life for a while, I tend to forget Who it is that surrounds me with His love and protection and simply take "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" for granted.  It is when these things are challenged that I begin to reflect back in order to remember just where it was that I went wrong and became forgetful.
 

Sometimes we need discipline.  A while back one of my grandchildren started to become very belligerent and defiant with his mom and myself, it only took one swat to bring him to his senses.  He looked up with surprise and said, "You hurt me."  Now he wasn't really hurt or he would at least have cried, but he was beginning to understand.   I looked at him with sadness and said, "Yes, that is how it feels to mommy and me when you speak to us like that."  He literally ran to me and threw his arms around my neck.  I asked if he was sorry he spoke like that and he nodded, burying his face in my neck.  I kissed him and told him how much I loved him.  He then went to his mommy and hugged her tight.  She too told him how much she loved him and how proud she was of him.  He hasn't spoken like that since.

Sometimes we need to be knocked down a few pegs.  I come from a very intelligent family.  Many are even in the genius range with IQs over 140.  That may sound wonderful, exciting and may even make some hearts jealous, but do not let it.  Intelligence can get in the way of many things, like salvation.  Faith is intangible, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to the intellect.  If you cannot use your senses to diagnose any given situation, then it must be torn to shreds and proven false.  I was reared in a Christian home, went to church every Sunday, some Sunday evenings, some Wednesdays, during revivals, children and youth events, vacation Bible school, etc.  I knew all the answers I was supposed to give, because I remembered what I had been taught.  When I was seven I made a false profession of faith.  I did not understand salvation.  How could one man dying on a cross and coming back to life make it possible for me to go to heaven?  I was 16 before I finally understood that I didn't need to understand, I simply needed to accept it by faith.  That's a lot of years for someone raised as I was.  However, with that simple step of faith came understanding.  Therein lies the problem with intelligence.  It demands understanding first, but in the case of salvation - understanding comes after the fact.  In order for me to trust, I had to throw aside intelligence (which believe me, is not an easy task, because a big dose of pride is attached to it) and literally fall on my knees before God.  It was at that moment I began to realize just how ignorant my intelligence really is compared to His all-knowing mind.  I cannot express how grateful I am to God for loving me enough to knock me down off my pedestal and keeping a loving hand on my neck to keep me from climbing back up there.

I could go on and on about why suffering is necessary at times, but I want to say for the record, "Thank You God for loving me enough to allow me to suffer when I need it in order for me to grow and be who I need to be in order to bring You great joy.  There is nothing my heart desires more than to continually hear You speak words of love and encouragement to my heart, because I have been obedient to Your voice.  I am not perfect by a long shot and I fail often, but You know exactly what I need and when I need it to bring me running into Your arms."