Discipline

My father was a strict disciplinarian, and his way of disciplining often included a spanking. I always thought that my brother and sisters deserved the spankings they got, while I was usually an “innocent bystander” that got drug into the fray. (As a preacher, I now admit that my thinking and remembrances might be a bit biased.) Through his discipline my Dad taught us some basics to help us get through life. He taught us to tell the truth (he hated a lie), to not be wasteful, and to treat people with respect and dignity. He has not spanked me in many years, but I still remember the lessons that he taught me and I still strive to honor his teachings by living that way. The Psalmist writes, “Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord …..” (Psalm 94:12). Now after being a part of the “raising” of three children myself and fighting the battles – inside and out- of how to discipline, how to teach them, I can honestly testify to the amount of true love that is required to be a good disciplinarian. Realizing this truth opens my mind to how blessed I am to have a father on earth who cared enough, who loved enough to discipline me in a way that I was taught some foundational principals; and even more important, how blessed I am to have a Father in Heaven who cares enough and is patient enough to teach me in His ways. There are many that are not nearly as blessed as I because they had no one to serve as their earthly father and to establish guidelines for them to live by, but EVERYONE has a heavenly Father. Take time to thank Him today by honoring the ways of life that He has been trying to teach you. Blessings