Day 150

 

Proverbs 13:24

 

"He who spares the rod hates his children, but he who loves them disciplines them promptly". Not a popular verse with children or the 'Political Correctness' police, yet it is in the Word. Because of the many abuses of this passage, a brief discussion regarding the Biblical guidelines for administering discipline is in order.

 

1. Discipline is to be done promptly, so there is an immediate connection between the punishment and wrong behavior.( Proverbs 13:24)

 

2. Never discipline while angry. (Jeremiah 10:24) The child should never question your love towards them, the same way we never question God's love towards us when receiving His discipline. Discipline isn't a matter of love; it's a matter of obeying certain parental requests and Godly principles.

 

3. Deal with discipline issues while the child is young, as Proverbs 19:18 instructs. The younger the child, the quicker a lesson is learned.

 

4. Never use your hand. Proverbs 13:24 directs parents to use a rod (a wooden spoon in my mother's case) because hands are for hugging and expressing love, not for inflicting pain. The appropriate level of force behind the rod is to bring tears, not terror. And the location for the rod? The amply padded derriere.

 

5. Always pray with them afterward, mentioning both the behavior and attitude in the situation. Pray that the fruit of the Spirit manifest in them (Galatians 5:22-23) and that a desire to do the right thing replace disobedience in your child's future.

 

We taught our own kids that 'obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings pain', but that either way, our love for them was unconditional. Eventually, they got it. Parents: stay strong and don't give up.