Bandage On, Bandage Off

Children think unwrapping a bandage and putting it on the “bobo” will make it feel better, but it’s only a cover-up. They quickly learn that the antiseptic needed to ward off infection will sting, and so will pulling off the bandage, but it’s for their best. Sometimes we must do what hurts to make a situation better. So will our Father.

Because God loves us, He disciplines those who stray from the path of right living: “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” (Hebrews 12:11). The discipline will not bring joy and is often painful because a quick-fix bandage or enabler won’t correct life’s wrongs. Genuine change happens only when the wanderer bends to what God knows is best, but for those who refuse to heed His chastening, a repeat training session awaits. 

Healing, restoration, and fruit-bearing come to them who receive God’s Truth, though it may sting, and let it cleanse. Benefited by the exercise, though the fruit may take a while to ripen, the trainees will be right before God and more confident in Him—evidence of a life changed through discipline.