Johnny's teacher was not happy with him. She asked him to move his chair to the corner and sit in it until she told him to get up. Maybe he had been rude or kept talking when she had asked him to be quiet so the corner was the place for him to sit. There were two options that Johnny could see for himself. He could NOT do as the teacher asked, but he wasn't sure of the consequences of that move or he could do what the teacher requested, but that went altogether against his grain. Then a third option came to him, he could do as the teacher asked and let her know that he might be sitting in the chair, but inside, he was standing up.
No one likes discipline. It goes against our grain. We don't deserve that treatment. The authority just doesn't understand us, or appreciate us. We think of it in terms of punishment. Real discipline may be considered punishment, but in reality, it is to teach us or train us or change us. As a Christian, we can be assured that all our punishment was laid on Jesus. There is no more punishment to be dished out. It is finished!
While in training to become a helicopter pilot in the army, my son went through some humbling discipline. He tells of times when he was required to "mow" the yard outside the barracks with a pair of scissors! He tells of having to do one hundred push-ups if his bed didn't bounce a quarter high enough or having to run several miles because his locker wasn't straight enough. The authority was in the process of breaking him down in order to build him up the right way. He was being disciplined to train him and change him into being watchful and careful and precise so he could manage all the doings of being in charge of a helicopter.
As a Christian, we should expect discipline. God, our Heavenly Father, is seriously concerned about our development. He sees all the flaws and works to conform each of us into the image of His first born Son. It is an honor bestowed upon us that He considers us even worthy to begin to become like our big brother. There is such a thing as 'holy' sandpaper and 'holy' chisels. In God's hand, circumstances become tools which He uses to break us down. Break us down from trusting in ourselves and remold us into a disciple who has been disciplined. God will know if you are sitting in the corner on the chair but standing up inside. You might be doing just that for a while, but it is best if you accept that God is good and does only what is good for you and just sit down till He tells you to get up.
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