Tripping...
Every winter I find myself in the awkward situation of tripping and falling (blasted ice!). Every time I look around to make sure no one saw me, then get up and go on my way. If someone did see me, I try to play it off and go on about my life. Does that sound familiar?
Most of us do that, if we're honest (unless of course there's an actual injury to ourselves in which case decorum and pride goes out the window!). But, more often than not, we do the same thing in our spiritual lives. We screw up, take a second to evaluate whether anyone will know/see, then play it off as if it didn't happen. That's why Hebrews 12 talks about "the sin that so easily trips us up!" I know I have sin issues that crop up and my first response is often what I do when I fall outside: I try to think about whether that sin is visible to anyone (or if anyone might know, like my accountability bros) and how I can best go about covering it up. Sad, huh?
The truth is, that's the worst thing we can possibly do! Adding skeletons to our closets and cover ups to cover ups eventually leaves us nothing but a bunch of band aids trying to hold together bones... Thus why the answer is to drop the things that might slow us down and avoid the sin that trips us up. However, we don't manage to do that very well do we? That's why the passage continues by talking about "discipline." Not exactly my favorite word, much less my favorite action! But the idea is that God is the perfect Father, which means He will discipline those He loves.
"If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all."
Gavin and I have had this discussion, because he automatically wants to go where he is not going to have things are required of him. The thing is, people who don't require much of him are being unloving! The opposite might appear true, because I expect high things from him and discipline him when he doesn't do those things while others expect nothing and don't care if he does or doesn't do things. But, just like my football/wrestling/rugby/track coaches through the years, we discipline people so they can be better. Coach Gibson yelled at me to get my best efforts on the mat and spent countless hours showing me what I was doing wrong and not letting me get by doing what "worked" but what was right. Those efforts paid off in my performance for the NHSN wrestling team, as I won a lot of matches and my performance boosted the team. If he had let me get by doing what worked in junior high (just winning on power without technique), I would never have done well at the high school level! Instead, he pushed me to do things the way they needed to be done so that later, I would do things that way. I teach Gavin for the same reason: "train up your child in the way he should go so that when he is old he won't depart from it."
Now, how does that apply to us? When we sin, is there someone who is going to check on you that you're honest, open, and in accountability with? God will discipline us, but one thing is certain: it's a lot easier to run this race of faith with others! I would encourage you to find some fellow runners who can help you along this journey, because they can make all the difference. If you're looking for accountability, take the risk and ask someone to help keep you there because we all trip and fall, the question is whether we try to hide it or learn from it...
Most of us do that, if we're honest (unless of course there's an actual injury to ourselves in which case decorum and pride goes out the window!). But, more often than not, we do the same thing in our spiritual lives. We screw up, take a second to evaluate whether anyone will know/see, then play it off as if it didn't happen. That's why Hebrews 12 talks about "the sin that so easily trips us up!" I know I have sin issues that crop up and my first response is often what I do when I fall outside: I try to think about whether that sin is visible to anyone (or if anyone might know, like my accountability bros) and how I can best go about covering it up. Sad, huh?
The truth is, that's the worst thing we can possibly do! Adding skeletons to our closets and cover ups to cover ups eventually leaves us nothing but a bunch of band aids trying to hold together bones... Thus why the answer is to drop the things that might slow us down and avoid the sin that trips us up. However, we don't manage to do that very well do we? That's why the passage continues by talking about "discipline." Not exactly my favorite word, much less my favorite action! But the idea is that God is the perfect Father, which means He will discipline those He loves.
"If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all."
Gavin and I have had this discussion, because he automatically wants to go where he is not going to have things are required of him. The thing is, people who don't require much of him are being unloving! The opposite might appear true, because I expect high things from him and discipline him when he doesn't do those things while others expect nothing and don't care if he does or doesn't do things. But, just like my football/wrestling/rugby/track coaches through the years, we discipline people so they can be better. Coach Gibson yelled at me to get my best efforts on the mat and spent countless hours showing me what I was doing wrong and not letting me get by doing what "worked" but what was right. Those efforts paid off in my performance for the NHSN wrestling team, as I won a lot of matches and my performance boosted the team. If he had let me get by doing what worked in junior high (just winning on power without technique), I would never have done well at the high school level! Instead, he pushed me to do things the way they needed to be done so that later, I would do things that way. I teach Gavin for the same reason: "train up your child in the way he should go so that when he is old he won't depart from it."
Now, how does that apply to us? When we sin, is there someone who is going to check on you that you're honest, open, and in accountability with? God will discipline us, but one thing is certain: it's a lot easier to run this race of faith with others! I would encourage you to find some fellow runners who can help you along this journey, because they can make all the difference. If you're looking for accountability, take the risk and ask someone to help keep you there because we all trip and fall, the question is whether we try to hide it or learn from it...
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