"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."
Hebrews 12:11-14
Some excellent advice here. Not necessarily easy to live, but very wise. I think that if we could live these verses that our lives would be much more joyous, despite the first statement... because so many of these things are tied together. God chastens us because he loves us. If he didn't, he'd just let us destroy our lives. Instead, he tries to stop us. If we listen, and learn, then we not only get more peace, but we benefit from that humility that we are learning, making it easier to do the last part and have peace with everyone, as well as being able to walk a little straighter along the path that allows healing from God.
Today, even if we can't take all of the advice at once, let's try some of it. Let's work on accepting God's chastisement and advice rather than getting angry or defensive. Let's lift and strengthen other people. Let's follow peace rather than stirring up arguments... and let's work on becoming more worthy of seeing the Lord, so we can be ready when that time comes. :)
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