#WISDOMSample

Beat Yourself Up

Sometimes it’s good to beat ourselves up. Seriously.

You may disagree, but talk to anyone who has had a really good workout lately and they’ll tell you – the best thing they’ve done for their bodies is also something that tears down tissue and causes soreness.

We feel beat up.

One of the strangest Proverbs to our ears goes like this, “Blows and wounds scrub away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.” (Proverbs 20:30)

What in the world?

The point is that self-discipline helps us get rid of stuff – sometimes forcefully – that cause us to be unwise and unhealthy.

• When people battle addiction, the early stages are often painful.
• When we battle with eating and our weight, the workouts and changing eating habit are painful.
• When we dig in and work on our marriage, the conversations and sacrifices can be painful.

In a sense, the wise thing to do is often the most painful thing.

Our bodies aren’t big fans of pain, and that’s a good thing. However, our bodies are also the vehicles that drive our lives. Sometimes acting wisely means we tell our body “no” and then our body responds with an “Oh, yeah?” of pain and discomfort.

To live our lives wisely means we allow God to give us paths to discipline our minds, hearts, and bodies. To spend time with Scripture and work to understand it can be painful, but it trains our minds to think on good things. To spend time practicing prayer is difficult, but it teaches us to hear from God and take His direction. To spend time serving other people or staying away from things like porn and abusive substances is difficult, but it teaches us how to be free of pride and self-service, and to find the beautiful path of Jesus.

So what needs to be beaten up in our lives today? Remember, we don’t do this to earn God’s love – we do this because there’s better life in wisdom that’s right in front of us for the taking.