Hebrews 12:5-7

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?"
Hebrews 12:5-7


Back on the kid theme... I think we need to be reminded a lot that we are children, and that we aren't all-wise and all-knowing... especially about ourselves.  We have *so* much to learn, and the people around us have something to teach us... and maybe we have something to teach them as well.  But, we make mistakes.  We’re just little kids, and it's really expected... and God, our father... is SO cool to us, and completely forgiving of the little kid mistakes that we make.  But, we do have to learn... we have to grow and start recognizing that some things are good, and some things are bad... and we have to learn to trust dad, because he does know which way is up, even if we don't very well.  If we go too near the stove, our father would be remiss if he didn't challenge our direction.  If we start sticking a fork into the electrical outlet, he's going to tell us what is up... if we are determined to destroy ourselves, I’m sure we'll manage to do it, but if we expect it to happen without God warning us, and trying to help us learn, we're crazy.  Even when we are trying to make ourselves spiritually blind and deaf, God finds a way to communicate to us... maybe through someone else, maybe our own mind in a split second of wonder.  The thing is... chastening is good, not bad.  It saves us from some huge mistakes sometimes... and helps us learn.  It is necessary to our spiritual salvation, and personally... I am SO glad that God sends me warnings when I am not listening to him and about to do something REALLY stupid.  I'm not saying it is fun to realize how stupid you are, or how close to the cliff you have come or that you almost killed yourself... but what a great Father for teaching us, and warning us to correct our path before we are completely destroyed.