Because our little dog, Carrie, gets such terrible skin rashes, sometimes I have to give her a cortisone tablet, or an anti-histamine.
She is pretty good about taking tablets; she rolls on her back and I open her mouth and put it as far down her throat as I can, then I rub her neck to make her swallow. Usually this works.
Sometimes though, she moves the tablet to the side of her mouth and then spits it on the carpet when I am not looking!
I try to make the whole process as painless as possible but maybe she does not realise (she is a dog after all!) that the ordeal is not a punishment but is ultimately for her benefit – I am trying to stop her being so itchy!
It made me think that sometimes I behave like this when God tries to give me a dose of His good medicine in the form of a bout of sickness, an unanswered prayer, a difficult relationship. It might taste bitter to me at the time and feel uncomfortable to take. I fight against God and want to spit the situation out. I might think it is some sort of punishment, but perhaps if I could only see from God’s perspective I would realise that ultimately it is for my benefit and will be a blessing to me. A short inconvenience for long-term rewards.
I do explain to Carrie what I am doing when I give her the pills but she has no framework in which to understand me. Likewise, as a mere mortal bound by time and space and filled with my own selfish perspective, I probably would not understand what God was doing, even if He explained Himself. Like Carrie, I just have to trust my Master and know that because my Master loves me and is the giver of good things, whatever He gives me must be the best thing for me at the time.
Trust God, He is not being cruel but infinitely tender in His dealings with you.
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. Hebrews 12:11