No one likes to have to discipline their children when those children have made some really poor choices, yet if we love them, we have to, for their own good. (read Heb 12:4-11) Proverbs 13:24 is clear, “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.” This is NOT talking about corporal punishment. We should NEVER beat our children into submission. Remember, we are learning from the greatest Father of all, and He does not do this, so we should not either. That’s the “other guys” tactics, not godly Love. But we must discipline them, or they will only continue to make poorer and poorer choices.
There is a huge difference between punishment and discipline and that difference is Love. Punishment says , “YOU are a bad person, and so I will force you to change.” Discipline, on the other hand, says, “I love you but you have not made a good choice, and because I do not want you to go further down any wrong roads, I might to have to withhold something to teach you to stay away from those poor choices.” See? One condemns the person- “YOU are bad”- while the other trains the person- “the thing you DID was bad.” Man if we adults could just get this truth on the inside of us, the enemy would lose that false power of “guilt-control” he has over us really quick. Let’s teach our kids the difference too!
<>< Peace, Diane
