Andrew Raia

Ok I know it has been a long time since I posted something, but I had to come post this.

I was in the middle of working on the Old Testament Survery for my Biblical Theology Masters when I came accross a section in Deutoronomy 8. The study guide made reference to Hebrews 12:5-11.

Hebrews 12:5-11 (Contemporary English Version)

5But you have forgotten that the Scriptures say to God’s children, “When the Lord punishes you, don’t make light of it, and when he corrects you, don’t be discouraged. 6The Lord corrects the people he loves and disciplines those he calls his own.”  7Be patient when you are being corrected! This is how God treats his children. Don’t all parents correct their children? 8God corrects all of his children, and if he doesn’t correct you, then you don’t really belong to him. 9Our earthly fathers correct us, and we still respect them. Isn’t it even better to be given true life by letting our spiritual Father correct us? 10Our human fathers correct us for a short time, and they do it as they think best. But God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is. 11It is never fun to be corrected. In fact, at the time it is always painful. But if we learn to obey by being corrected, we will do right and live at peace.

So here I am sulking over my current situation in life, and fearing for the future, when I God just smacks me across the face and tells me to snap out of it.

After reading this I realized that God is disciplining me, and I have been acting like my daughter does when I discipline her, throwing a fit, and whining, instead of listening.

God was trying to show me that I cannot live on bread alone (Money, the house, toys, things of this world etc.), but I need every word from his mouth. Now I knew this in the past, but it never registered till now. Looking back I realized I have become complacent in my situation. We had jobs, the bills were getting paid, we bought what we wanted. All the meanwhile God was getting put on the back burner, he took less and less of a prominent role in our lives. As the priest of my household I take full responsibility for that. I still am not fully sure everything that God is trying to teach me, but now that I see he is trying to teach me, I am ready to listen and learn.

I hope anyone that reads this will find some hope, in that if you are giong through tough times, more than likely God is trying to teach you something. I always wondered why all these celebrities and rich people had everything in the world and never struggle, well I know its because I am God’s and he is disciplining me like a good father. All I can say is I have a more positive outlook on things, not to say i still don’t worry and want to learn this lesson as fast as possible, but still, it is a step in the right direction…his direction.