The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.

Proverbs 22:3, ESV

I hate pain! The problem is that I have had more than my fair share of clumsiness, stubbornness, and often downright onery behavior, and have therefore suffered more than my fair share of pain. That's okay, though, for pain is one of our most useful teachers. Pet a strange dog and get bit, and you will likely not only not approach that particular dog again, but you will probably not pet any other strange dogs either. When I was four years of age, I fell off a tricycle that I had been standing on and broke my arm. I don't recall ever standing on tricycles after that and never had another broken arm.

One time (also about the age of four) I informed my mother that I didn't have to if I didn't want to when she told me to stop standing on her good living room chair. Technically, I was just as right as I could be - I did not have to if I did not want to. But Mom had a lightning strike that came out of nowhere that made me want to obey. I don't ever remember challenging either of my parents in such a bold way in the years that would follow.

My point in all this is that pain can be a useful teacher, if we will let it. A parent can command, yell, and even plead with their child to do something, but I have noticed that there is nothing quite like the firm hand of discipline to drive the point home the first time.

Have you ever observed that you can always tell which kids have good discipline in their home? If not, just go to WalMart and pay attention for a few minutes to the way kids interact with their parents. You can tell almost immediately if a child has experienced some good, properly administered pain. You can also tell the ones whose parents have been too "loving" to ever insist that their child obey, especially in such a way as to make the lesson painful for their little angel.

And what works for kids works even better for adults! Overspend on your credit card for one cycle, and the ensuing pain of a restrained budget will cause the prudent to not repeat the error. The fool, on the other hand, really will keep on going and will increase their suffering. It's the same way with those who abuse drugs and alcohol. The prudent will learn and adjust their behavior, while the fools will just keep on going and will likely be continually surprised with the fact that they suffer every time for their imprudent behavior.

Ralph Parlette, the author of the University of Hard Knocks, put it this way: The smart person will learn from the first "bump" and not repeat their mistake a second time. This type of lesson is referred to as a "needful knock". The "naturally bright" person on the other hand will make the mistake over and over and continue to amass bump after bump. Mr. Parlette refers to these painful outcomes as "needless knocks". A wise person will take some time after receiving a bump to analyze their situation. As a result, they will usually learn from the first needful knock and go on very nicely with their lives. The fool, however, has a lifetime of bumps to look forward to,

Which person are you?

The fact is that most bumps, bruises and bites are God's way of getting our attention in order to help us be self-correcting in our behavior. These things, though necessarily painful, can lead us to a much happier life if we will let them. If not... well, I think you know the outcome to that.