“Furthermore, we had human fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but he does it for our benefit, so that we can share his holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:9-11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

When I was in the military, I used to run a 5-minute mile. I used to endure brutal training to achieve that; I spent countless hours running up and down hills carrying 30-50Kg on my back. I used to take strenuous training to reach that milestone of fitness. Ultimately, all that hard work and pain paid off when it mattered. During the times of hardship in the military, I was able to endure, I was fitter than most, and therefore, the physical demands required on the battlefield were less stressful compared to others. The pain I suffered in training yielded a reward during the time of testing. I spent years training in faith that I would need that high fitness level. People are happy to endure lifestyle cuts to save money for the reward of the latest phone or a lovely holiday because the pain of saving money outweighs the pain of not having the prize they have in mind. My friend, the same is with our walk with God. We must endure the discipline from God because we know that it will yield something for more enjoyable in the future.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews has been building in the latter nine verses this fundamental understanding that we are to endure the discipline that comes from God because we know that it will bring to us the reward of righteousness. Nobody enjoys being disciplined or taking arduous training. Those periods can be riddled with questions of why and what is the point of this. But in those moments of discomfort, you must remind yourself why you are going through it. You must remember the reward you are seeking, an eternal relationship with the God that made everything.

During the trials that come, I know it is hard not to panic and worry when things appear to be going wrong, but those are the seasons where God is going to show you His faithfulness if you chase Him more. One of the biggest mistakes people make is trying to rush out of the hard times and find a solution as quickly as possible. As Christians, we must embrace the hard times and see God in the calamity. For when we can find and hold on to God in the storms of life, we can then have hope that in the future trials, we will be able to endure until that final day, when we can see Him face to face.