None of us have endured the sort of hostility that Christ endured, not even one. He is an example par excellence that we “may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:3). Keep running the race. He did, so we should.

Hostility and difficulty prove the grace we’ve received; joyful responses are not natural but supernatural. Struggles also train us to grow up in Christ. The author of Hebrews has a lot to say about this training and, in particular, about the goodness of God’s discipline.

God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (Hebrews 12:7)

A son left to his own, says Solomon, is hated (Proverbs 13:24). A loved son is a corrected son.

We have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not must more be subject to the Father of Spirits and live? (Hebrews 12:9)

God the Father knows best. Really. He knows where we need to be in life and how to help us get there.

He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. (Hebrews 12:10)

He’s imparting His own nature, sharing it with us.

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)

God does not deny that there are painful parts. Sometimes learning and growing hurts. But He does tells why He’s doing it.

He loves us as His children. He sent His Son to die for us. Because Jesus died for us, He will correct us and consecrate us for His family. For Christians, discipline is a feature, not a bug.