Dear Roger,It has been a rough year. We’ve struggled through problems and sufferings and trials and troubles and sickness and disappointments. I wonder why God won’t reduce the pressure. Could He be disciplining me?Sincerely, Worn OutDear Worn Out,If you thought that when you became a Christian, all of your troubles were over, you had best think twice.We all agree that our children need discipline at one time or another. However, we tend to forget that we sons and daughters of God must be disciplined as well. Unraveling the convoluted twists and turns of suffering has everything to do with the reality of God-given discipline for His children.The number-one biblical chapter on discipline is Hebrews 12. The number-one verse is Hebrews 12:10-11, which says,Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 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.Years ago, my mother and I were discussing the nature of God. I shared with her how God sometimes allows pain into the lives of His children. My mother was indignant. She said, “You can’t tell me that a loving God would ever hurt His children.” I never could convince her that she was wrong.When we think of discipline, we think of punishment. But discipline is so much more than that. Discipline may include training, educating, practicing, and willpower. These are all positive, life-changing things.By the way, a person who has never asked Jesus to forgive his sins and received Christ into his life as Lord and Savior has an open avenue for God to punish their behavior. This is the basic teaching of Psalm 73.The difference between God’s discipline of believers and God’s punishment of unbelievers lies not in the nature of the pain but rather the purpose of the pain.Lost people suffer for nothing. Christians suffer for Someone.The suffering of believers and unbelievers often may look alike. Both can get cancer. Both can lose jobs. Both can watch loved ones die—but a person without Jesus is being punished for his sins while God is disciplining His children with a definite purpose in mind.According to the Bible, discipline from God may spring forth from several different sources. Let me share some principles about properly handling God’s discipline.Photo Credit: © Getty Images/kaipong