Grace is such an amazing thing and of course we focus so much on it. I was thinking though during my reading through Psalms what about during the hard times when we feel God is not immediately present. I think just as we are unruly children in faith, He must discipline us like a parent must with their child. If your child steals something, of course you will scold them. If they do it again, you must show them that it’s still not acceptable. If it becomes a recurrent problem, the good parent must take drastic measures to show it is wrong because it is ultimately for the good of the child. It’s love and grace alive when the parent doesn’t give up and pretend everything is okay to subject the child to punishment, fully knowing it may hurt the child for the time-being. If we succumb to constant idolizing, lust, and other sins, I love to think how God will forgive me no matter what but I don’t give a second thought to Him wanting to discipline me, Him wanting to purify me. I don’t understand it’s Him doing something incredibly amazing, tearing away my impurities deep within me so I can love Him more. Instead, I am unwilling, unmoved like a stone.
And I ask myself, why is that? Frustration at why is that?
I think it’s cause I don’t love Him enough, not grateful enough, and not trusting enough that when I immediately see hard times, I can’t see the eternal ramifications that might be present.
