too is too often

As I was on my recovery cool down this morning after my run, I noticed this post, that was in the guard rail of a bridge  I was crossing. It was supported by a guy-wire that kept it standing upright.

In order for the post to support the handrail properly it had to be stretched by another mechanism. Otherwise it couldn't function the way it was intended to. My wheels began to turn as I looked at this post and I soon realized that if the post had a choice he would probably say to the guy-wire, "quit pulling on me."

Yet this is exactly what this post needed, so that it could perform like it was supposed to.

The Bible records a fascinating verse that says, no discipline seems pleasant at the time, BUT PAINFUL, later on however it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace, for those that are trained by it. Hebrews 12:11.

The painful part is where "too" often surfaces for people. And pain manifests itself differently for people. It plays out in emotional pain, and physical pain. Phrases like, it is too hard, takes too much time, other things are too important for me to do this, it is too much legalism. And the painful part manifests itself when people get too angry, and too upset because they too are too ticked over why they must do it.

All that to say this, after 50 years of life what I have learned is that most people will not on their own develop disciplined lives unless they have a pattern everyday where they are being stretched. Otherwise they will become too weak to live out their lives the way GOD intended them to.