the ultimate loving Parent who has set boundaries for us, his chil-
dren. He is the good Father who desires that we consider the conse-
quences of ignoring the limits he has lovingly drawn. He wants us to
walk in step with him so that we will not stumble and be hurt.
Through this book I learned to value God’s discipline.
I remember as a parent how much I hated to discipline my own
children. I hated being cast in the role of the Bad Guy. I always
wanted to be the Hero. But now I see that life would have been a lot
easier on my children later in life if I had been a little harder on them
early on.
Children need—and even like—limits. Rules cause their lives to
make sense. This is also true in our lives—in our relationship with
God.
That’s why I often begin my prayer time by thanking God for
carving out a way in the wilderness of sin, and I ask him to help me
stay within the margins of his mercy. I sometimes center on the
words of Jesus in Matthew 7:13–14: “Enter through the narrow gate.
For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction,
and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road
that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Occasionally if we wander from God’s ways we will experience
pain. But God’s purpose is always to draw us back into the arms of
his compassion, and he always uses our failures to let us know our
need for him. He reminds us that his limits promise our protection.
Dear Father, thank you for your discipline. We see it as a sign of
love. Thank you for giving us the awareness we need not to trans-
gress your boundaries. Keep us always in the narrow way as we fol-
low you. Amen.182 CLAIRECLONINGER