Spare The Rod

My husband and I have been blessed with well-behaved children. We’re quick to give God the glory because we know they are who they are by the grace of God. It’s been a while since either of our sons has been ‘touched’ in regards to discipline. Taking away privileges and other forms of punishment has sufficed, yet recently we’ve noticed our eleven year old being a little more forgetful than usual and covering up his mishaps. I guess this is called deceit huh? No mother likes to attach a negative word to her child, yet I must call it what it is. My husband and I had a long discussion about our son and as difficult as it was for both of us to “touch” our child after so long, we knew there was nothing else to discuss. It hurt me and it hurt my husband more because he delivered the pain, yet it would hurt our son more if we were not obedient to the Word of God in regards to disciplining our son - we knew he needed to be touched. Our obedience to God’s Word and the lack of is a cost to others – not only in the home, yet outside the home as well. As our son quickly approaches the demanding teenage years and then adulthood, there is no room for disobedience on our part. I must obey God and raise my child in the admonition of the Lord without compromise. Parents have one shot at raising a child and the blueprint, The Word, is not up for discussion. All children are different and the “rod” must be chosen according to the child. I only received the physical rod once as a child, yet my younger sister had a personal relationship with the rod (smile). I say this to say, it is extremely important to be Spirit-led in disciplining God’s children. The following morning, my sweet eleven year old gave us a big hug as he does every morning with his sweet morning smile. The pain of punishment lasts a short while, yet the results are for a lifetime.