And do not lose heart when he rebukes you because the Lord disciplines those he loves Hebrews 12

This passage from Hebrews sounds strange how could a ' loving God ' punish his sons? But surely if God really loves and cares for us life must have a purpose otherwise it becomes meaningless. This purpose for me has to be for our souls to learn and mature and that cannot happen in life without making mistakes and learning from them. Both the obvious mistakes and wrongs that we know we commit but also at a deeper level , like a child, when we simply don't realize or don't care that our actions are causing grief and suffering. These'sins' impede our development as souls and cloud our vision of God. It is only through suffering ourselves and being compelled by our conscience to look in the mirror of self at our actions that we can see the folly of our ways. I have friends who have made a lot of money and then lost it all they turn to me and say how could your loving God bring me such misfortune and others who keep their wealth but still feel empty and unfulfilled. I believe God is showing them all a simple truth money is not a God it may feed your stomach and ego but not your spirit our Heavenly Father reminds us we are not just creatures of flesh.

So often the ways of divinity are reflected in our earthly lives our parents punished us and at the time we believed it to be unfair and unwarranted but as we grow older we look back and come to realize that the lessons learned in childhood have actually helped us to become better adults and that that although they seemed harsh at the time they were actually expressions of love and care. So it is with God when we let him into our lives we must understand that he will not sit idly bye but that he will constantly force us to the well of truth until we drink. We all weave the web of fate that binds us but it is only by becoming aware that we are ensnared that he can offer the knife that sets us free.