Hebrews, God and punshiment

The Book of Hebrews says something applicable to all of us that appears on the surface to be the opposite of what it should be: if the heavenly Father loves someone, He spanks him. And if the heavenly Father disowns someone, He lets him alone, to have a good time. Disturbing, both ways! Here it is: Endure what you suffer as being a father's punishment; your suffering shows that God is treating you as His sons. Was there ever a son who was not punished by his father? If you are not punished, as all His sons are, it means you are not real sons, but bastards" (12:7, 8, GNB). Genuine Christians have always had a hard time with this "doctrine." Job is a prime example: he thought his sufferings were evidence that God hated him. Jesus is another example: He felt that His sufferings on His cross were evidence that God had "forsaken" Him. In both instances, of course, the one who was torturing the victim was Satan, not God, but nonetheless, the Father permitted the suffering, leaving both Job and Jesus to feel so "forsaken" that each was sorely tempted to give up his faith. In the case of Jesus, what hurt the most was that at His baptism, the Father hugged Him tight (Mt 3:17), but at His cross, He left Him in "outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth." This gives us a new perspective on our own sufferings, keen sorrows, bitter disappointments, painful rejections, yes, - broken hearts. It's hope whispering to us: maybe the Father really does love me?! Maybe I'm important after all, for He wouldn't waste all this time educating and disciplining me if I was only a "bastard" in the family! A master violinist disciplines his student, puts him through boring, even painful sometimes, exercises, before he can play a Beethoven or Brahms concerto, or the Bach Chaconne. "God does it for own own good, so that we may share His holiness. When we are punished [read, disciplined] it seems to us at the time something to make us sad, not glad. Later, however, those who have been disciplined by such punishment [read, suffering] reap the peaceful reward of a righteous life. . . . Guard against turning back from the grace of God. Let no one become . . . bitter" (vss. 10-16). And what about the undisciplined "bastard"? He's riding high all the time; knows no compassion for others; everything's going his way, maybe he rakes in the money, gets all he wants in this world, never gets a spanking from the heavenly Father. So . . . take your choice. But first, "consider Jesus" (Heb 3:1).

Have you been blessed?