Craig Clouston

Necessary Corrections

A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.
Proverbs 17:10

It was his seventh day in population and he was standing at his cell door for the midday count. Three times each day the inmates were required to stand at their cell doors while guards established their presence.
It hadn't taken him long to learn to be present for each count. The guards hated it when things didn't run smoothly. If you caused problems, it cost you. If an inmate wasn't present for count, he would incur the guards’ wrath.
It was amazing how some inmates would deliberately lay in their bunks, in direct violation of the regulations, just to anger the guards. They saw them as 'authority' figures and it was an open snub on their parts, but they couldn't have cared less. They knew the guards would punish them, but something within them wouldn't allow them to conform.
Troublemakers were given the most demeaning tasks in an effort to correct their behavior. This process was repeated until it broke their will. He’d found out on his second day that oversleeping the morning count would cost him. His sack time had bought him scrub time on the mess hall floors with only a hand brush and a bucket for company.
In three short days, he’d come to understand what the guards had told him: “You’re here because you can’t follow the rules. You are full of pride. We will assist you in making the necessary corrections.”

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We discipline our children when they do wrong in an effort to teach them to obey authority. When people grow up yet refuse to obey the law, we punish them. To allow them to continue would result in anarchy. So when order is replaced by chaos, necessary steps must be taken to restore stability. When simple discipline fails, corrective measures must be taken to achieve the desired results.
Solomon attributes a spirit of discerning wisdom to those who receive discipline and make the necessary corrections. Similarly, he calls those who set themselves against authority 'fools'.
It would seem our pride and an inner need to control our circumstances stand between us and a peace-filled life. Pride is one of the worst forms of rebellion and one of the most destructive.
Our rebellious behavior steals our peace, leaving us with a choice of whether to respond and make the necessary corrections, or continue on in frustration, reaping the consequences.

Prayer

“Help me rid myself of pride, Lord. I give You permission to make the necessary corrections that will restore peace in my life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”