Orthopedic surgery has come a long way since the creation of the Six Million Dollar Man.  For those of you too young to remember this science fiction television hit from the seventies, it featured a former astronaut whose body was mangled in a NASA test flight accident.  Doctors not only saved his life, but rebuilt him with bionic parts, giving him superhuman powers.  Decades after the Six Million Dollar man appeared in pop culture, people still evoke his character as a form of flattery when friends and relatives receive replacement parts. 

But in spite of advancements in medical technology, orthopedic surgery is far from glamorous.  Recently, my wife experienced her second total knee replacement.  If you, or a loved one are personally familiar with this journey, then you are aware of its challenges.  Although the science of artificial knees is amazing, the process of recovery can be agonizing.  The standard protocol involves the administration of high powered pain-killers, which give patients the edge they need to endure painful exercises designed to restore the knee’s range of motion.   

For these reasons, patients like my wife will do almost anything to delay a total knee replacement.  But eventually, their condition deteriorates to the point they are willing to go through a season of suffering to restore their quality of life.

As I have watched my wife navigate her rehabilitation with great admiration, I have reflected on the value of enduring temporary trials for the sake of a better future.  This is the principle that motivates first-generation immigrants in our country to made sacrifices in order to give their children a better life.  And, as you may be aware, it is the reason God allows us to experience hardships we would rather avoid.

We find this lesson in Hebrews 12:8-11: “If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

When we read the word “discipline” in this passage, we might hear “punishment”.  Certainly, a loving parent will punish a child as a means of guiding him or her in a better direction.  However, there are other forms of discipline.  A student disciplines himself in his studies.  An athlete disciplines herself through training.  Generally speaking, anyone who wants to be successful must show discipline in avoiding distractions and harmful habits which have a way of undermining the potential God has put in them. 

God allows us to face trials, grapple with complexities and endure personal pain, in order to bring us to a place where we can serve and know Him more fully.  He doesn’t take sadistic pleasure in disciplining us, but knows it is important to strengthen our spiritual muscles if we wish to be overcomers.

As I have aged, I have learned to take the Lord’s discipline in stride.  Please don’t misunderstand me.  I don’t always like what He allows to happen in my life.  At times, I even question His wisdom.  But I recognize my flawed human nature will never align in every respect with God’s perfect will, and therefore I press on.

In addition, I cherish the Hebrews writer’s phrase, “for a little while” (Hebrews 12:10).  I realize this reference is a bit vague.  The concepts of temporary or momentary distress don’t instinctively point to an extended season of suffering in our minds.  Rather, they suggest the prick of a needle before the nurse draws blood, or a short financial set-back, which is quickly resolved with a new job or unexpected windfall.  Yet, our “little while” can be much longer than this.  For the disciples, it was the period between Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 16:16). Since our entire lives are brief in light of eternity, the time between this very instant and the day we see Jesus in heaven could be considered “a little while.”

Perhaps you are in a “little while” season today.  You are waiting for an opportunity, an answer, a recovery, an apology, a restoration or a resolution.  You are hoping for relief or reprieve from a present suffering.  Maybe your “little while” has some definition, or it may lack clarity. 

I realize it is easier to find peace when most of our questions about tomorrow are answered.  But I believe this is the very situation the writer of Hebrews is addressing.  Christians in the early church were oppressed and persecuted, and they wondered how long God would allow them to suffer.  At the same time, they were plagued with the same sins we face, which impacted their personal walk with the Lord and their relationships with His people.  Surely, they wondered, “when will this little while be over?” 

The Hebrews writer didn’t attempt to answer this question.  Instead, he offered a different perspective.  Perhaps God was disciplining them for something greater; something later.  What if their “little while” was going to last until they arrived in heaven, but in the meantime, God was going to do bigger things through them as they matured?  This is the way good fathers treat their children.  They don’t protect them from everything, but are proud of the choices they make as they grow through hardships.

I hope your “little while” will literally only last a little while.  But if not, strive to lay the “when” aside, and begin to ask about the “what”.  What is God teaching you?  What does He want you to do? 

And what are you going to do about it?

It’s your choice. 

For “a little while.”