Harsh discipline [is] for him who forsakes the way, [And] he who hates correction will die. Proverbs 15:10 (NKJV)
Life is not supposed to be hard or a struggle, we only choose to live and walk that way either through ignorance or stubbornness. From the beginning God told Adam and all of us that we can choose the obedient, wise, easy way of the tree of life or the disobedient foolish hard way of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It’s far better, easier, and safer for a child to learn from the word of the adult not to touch fire but unfortunately almost all of us learnt that by actually touching and getting burnt which is the harder painful way. It’s better, easier, and safer to simply hear and follow what God tells us instead of finding out by experience what going against God’s instructions results into. God gave these two options to Israel to choose from. He said there was blessing and curse, life and death – Deuteronomy 30:19. Blessing and life when they hear and follow His instructions then curse and death when they reject His instructions. Why shouldn’t the sign “road closed ahead” not be enough for us to turn around, why stubbornly insist on finding out at the cost of our life? You can avoid learning the hard way by listening, paying attention, and following instructions.