He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.
Way back in 1990 my family made a missions trip to Mexico. It was enlightening in a number of ways. The church I pastored was afraid I would come back to proclaim God had called me to be a missionary there. The people in the churches in Mexico kept asking me to come be a missionary there. But I was never so happy to leave a place as then. Mexico had several problems that have only gotten worse. One of the things we observed was the lack of discipline of children. Literally, we had to ask for toilet paper whenever we went to the restroom. They did not leave toilet paper in the restrooms because the children would waste it all. Traffic signs and speed limits were useless there because no one would obey them anyway. We were told if a car wreck happened everyone went to jail until someone paid for it. Examples of the lack of discipline were everywhere.
Reflecting on this experience, it struck me that the nation could undergo a transformation within a single generation if parents learned how to discipline their children.
Fast forward to the present, and it seems that America is grappling with some of the same issues that Mexico faced back then. My belief in the importance of disciplining our children has only grown stronger.
Proverbs 22:15 (KJV)
Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
I did not say it. God did. The proper way to discipline a child is with a rod and not with a “time out.” A good spanking leaves an impression on the child but it’s over when it’s over, the parent and the child can reconcile and lovingly move on. Time out just gives the kid, and the parent, time to stew on their disagreement.
Regardless of your personal beliefs, the Biblical guidance for discipline is to employ “the rod of correction.“
But notice, “the rod of his anger shall fail.”
The rod of correction is not a rod of anger. Discipline administered in anger is ineffective and wrong. It will fail in its purpose. A parent must discipline their children, but they must learn to do it purposefully and with great love and humility, not in anger. Preachers joking about the thrashings they got do not help. It sends the wrong message.
We must encourage young parents to consistently, lovingly, deliberately discipline their children, to use the rod of correction but to never use the rod of anger.
#Parenting #ChildDiscipline #Proverbs22:15 #LovingCorrection #FamilyValues
Parenting with Purpose: The Path to Effective Discipline
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