"My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,

and do not resent his rebuke,

because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

as a father the son he delights in."

Proverbs 3:11-12

It is dangerously easy for us, even as Christians, to fall into this pattern of belief that God is trying to hold us back from enjoying life. It is alarmingly simple to view His commandments as rules and laws that were created to hinder us from experiencing the things of this world. It is not difficult to get annoyed at our hearts for feeling convicted over our sins. We despise that shame and wish so strongly that the hard rock in our hearts would no longer sink into the pit of our stomachs when we wrong the Lord. It is such a fleshly desire to rid ourselves of the feeling of conviction as opposed to wanting to rid ourselves of sin.

However, we are not looking at conviction through His truth if we are holding hostility towards it.

Conviction is a blessing.

It is a gift from our loving Father. We should be rejoicing in the Truth that our Lord does not want us to live in our sin. We should have overwhelmingly appreciative hearts for a Father that has told us, shown us, taught us, and brought us into a life full of joy. We should celebrate that when we slip up He has placed His Spirit within us to remind us of the path that He has perfectly designed. Not only has He graciously given us His beautiful Spirit, but He has bestowed us with His perfect word, His sweet instruction that is without flaw. His instruction is not pointless. It was written with purpose behind it and so so so much love. He disciplines because He loves us, and I will rejoice in that forever.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

and your ways are not My ways."

This is the Lord's declaration.

"For as heaven is higher than earth,

so My ways are higher than your ways,

and My thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:8-9

How absolutely awesome, incredible, amazing that the Most High, King of kings, Lord of lords, God of the universe nudges His children to tell us that our sin hurts Him, will not glorify Him, and will have consequences? When we think about conviction in that context and in the truth that His discipline comes from a place of genuine love and truly wanting the best for us, how can we view it in any other way than a blessing?

And so we can now rest in the fact that even though our sin is inevitable because we are still flesh, not only has our sweet Savior covered that sin with His perfect blood shed, hanging on that tree, but He also is lovingly calling us out of that sin and our slavery to it with the conviction that He places on our hearts.

So next time we feel that familiar feeling of our heavy heart jolting quickly into the very bottom of our tummies or however the Lord convicts you of your sin, I pray that we would rejoice that our sweet, sweet Father is bringing us to Him, telling us to turn away from this wrong that will bring us harm and will not glorify Him. I pray that we would go to His kind welcoming arms, confess our offenses, and have an overwhelmingly grateful heart.

"When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away

Through my groaning all day long.

For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;

My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.

I acknowledged my sin to You,

And my iniquity I did not hide;

I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord';

And You forgave the guilt of my sin."

Psalm 32:3-5

"For my iniquities are gone over my head; As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me."

Psalm 38:4