I heard a woman I respect, and clearly on the conservative side say softly the other day, “Pain, it’s a very good teacher, you know.”

She was speaking of children and their upbringing often being a battle of wills. Children need discipline and consequence in the home to mature. They need to be given a choice, so they are able to learn to choose well for themselves when they leave the home. I don’t have biological children…but boy howdy I was one. I can imagine what I put my mother through, and now as an adult I not only love, but I respect her for it.

Decades ago as a child, I was hotdog’ing on a bicycle and broke an arm as a consequence. I bellowed melodramatically from an ER stretcher, fingers in Chinese handcuffs for a bone reset, “why me?” and my mother calmly responded in each instance, “why not you?” Hear me, she was loving, but she was firm in her zero-tolerance pity policy….pain is a very good teacher. 😉

I lost my melodramatic steam pretty quickly.

Just like discipline is necessary in solid child-rearing, our Father knows sometimes there must be painful consequence to ensure a lesson is learned. We recall the pain should we be tempted by the same decision in the future, and it makes us better, more resilient. It warns us when we test our human will against His. It’s our refining. Pruning.

She went on to use the analogy of training branches around a garden post. My mind’s eye sees my loving Father, my Master Gardener, pruning offshoots headed in undesired directions, and guiding our branches along the paths He has for us. We become so closely connected to the vine, We’re indistinguishable.

He always gives us choice. He knows the branch will break if He forces it, He made it. He’ll simply apply more pressure until the branch He loves and intends for much fruit is heading in the direction He knows is best for her.