Sitting in Time Out

I love my girls. They are so fun, and most of the time they are good girls. Most of the time they do what they are suppose to and aren't in too much trouble. But they are still kids, and kids will be kids. There are times when I have to discipline them. Sometimes the most effective discipline is just to make them sit still and quiet for a few minutes. We call it time out. I don't know why, but that is so hard for them to do. They want to get up and play and laugh and have fun, but sometimes we have to make them sit still and quiet.

I came across a scripture the other day that seems to say that all of us need to be in time out sometimes.

Lamentations 3:27 "It is good for a young man to be under discipline, for it causes him to sit apart in silence beneath the Lord's demands, to be face down in the dust, then at last there is hope for him."

Sometimes it seems like we are face down in the dust. Sometimes it seems like we are sitting alone in silence, and that no one else understands what we are going through. There are times in life when we would much rather be doing anything but sitting still, but God has us in a time out. He is disciplining us. Not because He is mean or angry, but because He loves us and wants us to be all He created us to be.

I like what the writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 12:10-11 (NLT) "But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way."

Are you sitting in time out? Waiting for something to happen, hoping to get out of where you are to a time that is much more enjoyable? Trying to move forward, but God is telling you to wait? Maybe God is teaching you discipline. Maybe this time is really a great opportunity. A chance to be still and quiet and hear God's voice.

The time outs in life don't last forever. Soon we are on our feet again laughing and playing, but during the time outs we can take advantage of the opportunity to grow and learn greater discipline in our lives.