In
any crisis of life, we get to choose our pain. We can either choose the pain of
discipline or the pain of regret. Let me illustrate.
A
married couple comes to see me because their marriage is in the dumps.
Communication is low. Fighting is high. Individual needs are not being met.
Though not a trained therapist, I have the experience of being married to the
same woman for twenty-nine years and more than twenty-five years as a pastor.
After
each spouse shares his or her perspective on what’s wrong with the relationship
and how they got to this place in their marriage, I always ask, “What are you
willing to do to fix this relationship?” Typically, this question catches them
off guard, yet it is fundamental to any healing and restoration.
I
then tell them that they get to choose their pain. They can choose the pain of
discipline by seeing a counselor, joining a small group, attending a marriage
conference. Or they can choose the pain of regret -- getting a divorce, sharing
custody of the children, losing half their stuff! They choose: pain or regret?
[King]
David messes up big time by misusing his power as king and getting another
man’s wife pregnant. (2 Samuel 11) He could choose the pain of discipline and
‘fess up. It would have been ugly, but resolution might have come. … Instead,
he chooses more regret. He sets a plan to have the unassuming and innocent
husband of Bathsheba killed. His choice multiplies the injustice and pain.
What will you choose today -- the pain of discipline or
the pain of regret? Both hurt. Only one heals.
-- Jorge Acevedo in The
Upper Room Disciplines 2012: A Book of Daily Devotions. © 2011 by Upper
Room Books. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
#3691
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for sharing your comments about a quote or about this ministry. Please include your name and what state or country you live in. If you do not have a registered profile, you can login using the "Anonymous" tag in the "Comment as:" box below.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.