payoff

In 2007, when A began competing in gymnastics, she rocked the competition. Not to brag, but she did a super job and ended up winning-alot. She even won the State Meet that year.

Last year, however, was a different story. While she complained about going to practice, she didn't want to quit. It was a struggle for her to get her mind on her routines and what she needed to do to get them right. She had mediocre meets at best and finished way behind at the State Meet.

This year is really looking up for her. She has had both good and bad meets, and finished well. The past few weeks, however, she has really pushed herself to practice and try to get things right. There is a huge banner on the wall of her gymnastics center that reads "Great gymnastics is not the result of a million repetitions, Great gymnastics is a result of a million corrections". WOW. She asked me the other day about why is says this. I told her it was true- it wasn't just going through the routines over and over- it was making the corrections to make them right.

This past weekend she had and awesome meet. Yes, it was a small meet, but it was one of her best EVER. She made her highest scores ever on the beam and vault. She won first place in everything including All Around. She was so excited and realized the results of true hard work.

I was able to use this example with our bible reading this week as well. We have been reading through Proverbs this month. One chapter a day was the goal, but we have actually been reading more.

Proverbs is full of verses dealing with instruction and discipline. Such as:

Prov. 19:20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be

wise

Prov. 13:1 A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not

listen to rebuke.

Prov. 6: 20 My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your

mother's teaching

But just as these versus tell us to obey, there are also versus that tell us what happens when we do not:

Prov. 19:16 He who obeys instructions guards his life, but he who is

contemptuous of his ways will die

Prov. 13:13 He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a

command is rewarded

Prov. 15:10 Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path: he who hates

correction will die.

I was able to explain to my kiddos that each time we are instructed, disciplined, or given advice we need to not only hear what is said to us, but to understand it so that we can apply it. When we apply the lesson, we can only then realize where we need to make the "corrections" in our lives, obedience, attitudes, and judgements. It is so easy to become angry when we are disciplined, but the Bible is very clear on hating correction- we will die. Listening and accepting will make us wise.

Its not just "Great gymnastics" that is the result of a million corrections. It is also Wisdom- now that's a payoff.