Tough Love
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (Hebrews 12:6-7 ESV)
Bam! The door slams downstairs. Bam! Slams again. Bam! A third time. And that's when I lose it. One rule in the Garrison house is that you don't play with doors. Way too many things happen by slamming doors. I've seen bloody fingernails fall on the floor, an ear shut inside a door...yes, an ear, and the obvious toe slammed under the door. Doors are just bad news. One of my friends removed the bedroom door on his teenage son's bedroom, albeit for a different reason, but still...doors might be a tool of the devil.
So, when I come downstairs, I tell my kids to lineup! "I don't care who did it, but you're all getting spanked! No slamming doors in the house!" And to my defense, we have had this conversation with the same outcome several times. This is not a new offense. But as I'm lining them up, I catch myself, and tell them to just sit down for a minute. I walked away and finished getting ready, which gave me time to cool down. When I returned, they were terrified...like that good terrified because they knew they had broken a rule and were going to get disciplined. Then Gunnar chimes in, "Oh! Hi Daddy! Hi!" I mean, you know how cute that kid is. His little voice melts my heart. Could this be any harder?!
I don't want to discipline them at all! I think God makes kids cute for that very reason...so dads and moms discipline in love and not in anger.
It kills me to discipline those kids, but here's the thing, I do it because I love them. I want them to grow, be safe, and understand what it means to obey their mom and dad.
The truth of the Bible is that God does discipline His children. He doesn't pour out His wrath on them, but he does loving discipline.
Discipline: root word = disciple. Means to teach.
Even when you may feel like things are going bad, and they may be, God is likely disciplining you...not out of anger, but out of love. To help you grow. To help you experience His love more fully. To keep you safe and out of harms way.
Discipline = Love
- Charlie
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (Hebrews 12:6-7 ESV)
Bam! The door slams downstairs. Bam! Slams again. Bam! A third time. And that's when I lose it. One rule in the Garrison house is that you don't play with doors. Way too many things happen by slamming doors. I've seen bloody fingernails fall on the floor, an ear shut inside a door...yes, an ear, and the obvious toe slammed under the door. Doors are just bad news. One of my friends removed the bedroom door on his teenage son's bedroom, albeit for a different reason, but still...doors might be a tool of the devil.
So, when I come downstairs, I tell my kids to lineup! "I don't care who did it, but you're all getting spanked! No slamming doors in the house!" And to my defense, we have had this conversation with the same outcome several times. This is not a new offense. But as I'm lining them up, I catch myself, and tell them to just sit down for a minute. I walked away and finished getting ready, which gave me time to cool down. When I returned, they were terrified...like that good terrified because they knew they had broken a rule and were going to get disciplined. Then Gunnar chimes in, "Oh! Hi Daddy! Hi!" I mean, you know how cute that kid is. His little voice melts my heart. Could this be any harder?!
I don't want to discipline them at all! I think God makes kids cute for that very reason...so dads and moms discipline in love and not in anger.
The truth of the Bible is that God does discipline His children. He doesn't pour out His wrath on them, but he does loving discipline.
Discipline: root word = disciple. Means to teach.
Even when you may feel like things are going bad, and they may be, God is likely disciplining you...not out of anger, but out of love. To help you grow. To help you experience His love more fully. To keep you safe and out of harms way.
Discipline = Love
- Charlie
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