I was sitting in a prayer meeting with two of my kids on either side of me, knowing that if I stood up to worship, they would too. And, in knowing that, I also knew that if I didn’t, neither would they. I’m reminded of this same notion when I…
When my kids were really little and I was new at “mommy’ing”, I would spend many nights lying awake beating myself up or feeling guilty about how my day went. I would replay the events of the day over and over in my head. I’d be mad at myself for…
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). How many times as a child did I hear my mom quote this scripture? In our house, it was said so often we all knew it by…
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him.” (Hebrews 12:5 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible)
There is an area of parenting that I do not enjoy and that is disciplining my children. My ten-year-old can be especially difficult to punish because he is old enough now to justify, rationalize, and even minimize whatever he is guilty of. As a parent, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but through trial and error I’ve learned that there is such a thing as too much mercy. If I refuse to discipline, I have noticed that my son’s attitude borders on disrespectful, disobedient and stubborn. And have you noticed that punishment generally has consequences for the parent too? If I tell my son he can’t play with his friends for the rest of the day, I end up contending with a disgruntled, bored little boy who won’t give me a moment’s peace! Punishment effects whomever is involved.
The Bible teaches that disciplining our children shows them that we love them. And God takes our discipline very seriously too. He does not want us to regard it lightly. Refusing to surrender to God’s discipline will delay His blessing in our life. Just as a parent does not enjoy disciplining their children, it is God’s desire to bless us, not to hurt us. We need discipline to handle the blessings. Our character needs to be developed so we can receive more from the Lord without it destroying our integrity. Without discipline we would become spoiled and useless to the Kingdom of God.
Prayer: Lord, I am feeling the growing pains of reaching a new level of commitment in my Christian journey. I understand that this is a season of testing in my life. Please help me respond correctly to discipline and open my heart to the lessons You are teaching me. Amen.
Devotion by Julie Long
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible) Training is not an easy task for parents or children. As parents sometimes it seems like all we…
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It was a typical trip through the McDonald’s drive-thru. My granddaughter had her order figured out—the McNuggets Happy Meal. As I repeat it back to her, I stated, “And milk with that.”
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“No. I want a frozen strawberry lemonade.”
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“But you don’t even like lemonade,” I objected. “It’s tart. You won’t like it,”
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“I want a frozen strawberry lemonade. Not milk.” The voice from the backseat was emphatic. After a couple more attempts to dissuade her, each rebuffed, I ordered the frozen strawberry lemonade for her. All the while, I wondered where this idea had originated. My picky eater will seldom try new things and then not willingly. Unusual.