Written by Carter

     I read this scripture recently and it really struck a chord for me:

     Proverbs 3:11-12 “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”

     As I thought about that, I asked myself: “Do I ‘despise’ the chastening of the Lord?” “Despise” seems like too strong of a word for my circumstances…so I decided to look in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible to see if there are other words that could have been used there. The Concordance takes each word in the Bible and gives the original word in Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), and also gives some alternative translations.

     “Am I ‘weary’ of God’s correction?” Frankly, sometimes, grief can be exhausting, and, yes, sometimes I AM “weary” of this correction.

     Some alternative words for “despise”: spurn, disdain, loath, refuse, reject. Do I sometimes reject or bristle at God’s correction? Yes.

     Some alternative words for “chastening”: halter, check, correction, discipline, doctrine, instruction, teach. In my limited experience working with horses, a halter is something that is put on their head to help restrain or direct them for the master’s purposes. If I am going in a direction different that where God wants me to go, He may need to correct that direction to His purposes. He may need to instruct or teach me.

     Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary describes “chasten” thus: “to correct; discipline; purify; prune (as a work or style of art) of excess, pretense or falsity; refine.” Wow! That is helpful to think of: God sometimes prunes from me my excess and pretense. He purifies and refines me.

     From the Concordance, some alternative words for “weary”: “severing oneself from (as a fruit or vegetable that is harvested); to be disgusted or anxious; abhor; be distressed; be grieved; load; vex.” The one that most moves me is “severing oneself”: if I am “weary” of God’s correction, I am severing myself from the life-giving sustenance that He is willing to provide me.

     Some alternative words for “correcteth”: “to be right, convince, judge, plead, reason together.” For me, God is pleading with me, trying to convince me, reasoning with me to grow in a different direction. I feel His love as I think of this.

     Some alternative words for “delighteth”: “to be pleased with, be acceptable, approve, enjoy, have favor, like, take pleasure.” Again, I think of God’s favor and acceptance and love as He corrects me BECAUSE He loves me!

     Another scripture on this topic is Hebrews 5:8 “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.”

     An alternative word for “learned” is “understand.”

     Some alternative words for “obedience”: “attentive hearkening, compliance, be subordinate to, submission, listen attentively, conform to a command or authority, heed, hearken, be under or inferior to.” As I follow Christ’s example, I will remember that God knows best; He knows more than I do. His ways are higher than my ways.

     Some alternative words for “suffered”: “to experience a sensation or impression (usually painful): feel, passion, vex.” There are some things that can only be learned through pain and suffering. I am here to learn and to grow; I am trying to grow in the ways that God wants me to grow. Sometimes that will be excruciatingly painful.