Proverbs 19:18
Chasten thy son while there is hope,
and let not thy soul spare for his crying.
As a dad, some of the most unpleasant and difficult moments are when I've had to discipline my children. To punish them for their disobedience is needed and although I know that God has given us this duty, it still hurts me. I suppose it hurts because of the disappointment of their choice. I still can't handle the tears because of the punishment.
When I think of sparing them or being lenient, my own dad comes to mind. I can remember as a child being punished (for something that I deserved to be punished for) and thinking... "Why aren't you whooping them? Why aren't you whooping my friends?" My dad would say, "They don't belong to me".
Remember Peter walking with Jesus on the shore of Galilee after his resurrection? Jesus was correcting him and bringing him back to the fold. Peter asked Jesus about what would happen with John and Jesus answered with, "You follow me". Did you know that shepherds will break the legs of wondering sheep in order to keep them from going astray? Well, God has told us that if we love our children then we will discipline them. We will chastise them for their wrongs. (Please don't break legs, that's abuse not discipline)
Our scripture tells us that we should do it while there is hope. By being a dad or mom who corrects their children that they love, we are giving them hope. I have heard many parents say that there is no more hope for their children. They are too old to discipline. I wish we could do it all over. My answer is always, we can't go back. We can only go forward.
Although I may be the one who goes into another room after I discipline my boys and cry, I can't let their tears deter me from disciplining them. Just as my earthly dad and Heavenly Father disciplines me, because I belong to them, I must never forget to do the same. Just as my dad loved me very, very much (haha) I love my boys the same.
