The Fruit that Grows out of Discipline

"When you get home from school, you're mine," I said very firmly to my son this morning as we were getting into the van to go to school.  He knew that not getting his chores done before school meant that not only did he have to do them when he got home, but I was going to give him a chore or two extra of my choice.

Today being the first day of fall, I decided it was weeding time.  I haven't really had a chance to get to the back yard since we moved in so I handed him a pair of gloves, pulled the garbage can around to the back yard, and put him to work.  

I showed him exactly what area I wanted cleared and was ready to leave him to his work when I spotted a little yellow flower.  A closer look revealed that under all those weeds there were two pear tomato plants struggling to survive.  Just goes to show what you can find when you pull away the weeds and dead foliage.

Hmm...  I suppose my son is not the only one getting a lesson today.

Lately I have been reading a lot about the Lord's discipline in our lives.

Proverbs 3:11-12 says "My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, or loathe His reproof,  for whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights."

Paul quotes this scripture to the Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 12:5-6, reminding them that the Lord's discipline is a GOOD thing.  He goes on to say "Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.  All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."  (Hebrews 12:9-11)

How does this relate to my son, our back yard, and weeds?  Remember the pear tomato plants that we found?  If I had not decided to discipline my son with the task of pulling weeds, we would not have found the tomato plants that were there, which currently have two tomatoes growing from them.  Perhaps now that the weeds have been pulled away, they will produce even more fruit.

The lesson that God taught me is this: Sometimes before "the peaceful fruit of righteousness" can be produced in our lives, we must first be disciplined to pull a few "weeds," or the sins that prevent us from growing more like Him.

I discipline my children because I love them, and I want them to grow into responsible adults with excellent character.  In turn, I accept the Lord's discipline in my life because I want to reflect His character and "share in His holiness."

Blessings,
~Melissa