Coloring Doors

"Furthermore, we had earthly [mothers] to discipline us...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

The other day while I was doing my devotions, my son proudly announced that he had written all of our names on his bedroom door.  And this is what I found:

I'm pretty sure I said "Oh my goodness!" and hoped with all I had inside of me that he had used washable crayons.  And then I kept asking myself, have I ever bought him anything but washable crayons?  If I have, this is my fault too.  As I was standing there, he was very excited to show me all of our names written on the door.  Not only had he included the entire family on his door, but he had also used a variety of colors.

Typically, I would have gotten really mad about this ordeal.  But I just had to get the camera to send it to Daddy.  I knew his reaction would be much more extreme than mine.  And then I informed my son that crayons ONLY belong on paper.  Before I chose his form of discipline, I decided to test his artwork to see if it was washable.  Thank goodness a wet paper towel did the trick!  But then I had to determine his punishment.  What would teach him not to do this in the future?  Let's just say that his sentence was immediately mitigated by the fact that he had used washable crayons.  I rejected the idea of solitary confinement and forced him to clean it up so that he could actively understand the consequences of coloring in the wrong place.

After reflecting on the ordeal yesterday, I wondered how many times I have done something on my own and have been proud of it only to find out it was a huge mistake.  When we do things on our own, outside of God's will, we are just like a toddler coloring on doors.  We're foolish and behaving ignorantly.  God wants us to color on his pages and to follow his plan, but how many times do we create art in the wrong places?

Just like a mommy who has to decide the best way to keep her son from coloring on doors in the future, God disciplines us too.  He brings us pain to train us like we would train a toddler.  I don't know what pain is in your life, but I've had some pain lately.  And I am learning from it.  I'm seeing some changes that need to take place in my heart and my home.  It seems like it has taken me far too long to get the point, but God is a Father who doesn't give up.  After shedding many tears, I'm starting to see that the sorrow has a point.  I'm just praying that the pain yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

If you're in pain, don't lose heart.  Meditate on Psalm 30:5 "For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning."  Be thankful that God takes the time to teach us.  And let your life bring about the peaceful fruit of righteousness.