Patiently, you waited for him to correct himself. But to your chagrin, it did not happen. In the process of correcting him, you observed his emotions evolve from denial, to hurt, to anger. You prayed that his initial denial would shortly be replaced with acceptance and change. You love your son dearly, but you had to get his attention! God's Loving Correction If you are a parent, you are probably familiar with this scenario. Our Heavenly Father has been personally involved in similar scenarios for thousands of years. His love for us is far beyond our comprehension. But when we continually fail to make a course correction, He intervenes with loving correction. The correction can come from a friend, a mate, a minister, an article or a total stranger! "My son, do not despise or shrink from the chastening of the Lord [His correction by punishment or by subjection to suffering or trial]; neither be weary of or impatient about or loathe or abhor His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights" (Proverbs 3:11-12, Amplified Bible). Don't Despise His Chastening Three times we are warned not to despise His chastening (Job 5:17; Proverbs 3:11; Hebrews 12:5). Hebrews 12:8 tells us that if we do not receive His chastening, we are illegitimate sons! In the Roman society, an illegitimate son had no inheritance rights. The Greek word for despise is oligoreo. According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, it means to have little regard for. King Solomon makes a penetrating statement in Proverbs 12:1. "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid!" This scripture is a perfect example of the Bible being described as a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). Correction Produces Godly Fruit Hebrews 12:11 states, "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Our Father is full of mercy. He will guide us through this difficult process. Job 5:18 states, "For he wounds [corrects] but he binds up; he smites, but his hands heal" (Revised Standard Version). Isn't this just like God? Healing follows correction. Correction Leads to Holiness God's love is shown through correction. His correction is designed to put us back on the straight and narrow. He is deeply pleased when He sees a humble and speedy response to His correction. If we are His children, correction will come in one form or another. God's correction is summed up beautifully in Hebrew 12:10: "For they [our human fathers] indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness!"