Lately I have been seeing and hearing a lot of commotion again about spanking or as they call it beating. I am going to say right up front that I am against beating my child no where in the bible does it ever speak or condone beating. Now with that being said many parents fail to do exactly what the bible does say. I remember when my first child was born to me and his father. How precious this little one was and is? There he was a small, cute bundle. This is where it all beings. That's right parents we begin by training them. I know you are all now asking or mocking it is a baby and is right. I started the day he came home from the hospital. Every day around mid morning I sat down and read to him that's right I read to this 8 day old baby as I held him in my arms. I was training and instilling in him a love for reading. This child of mine was learning two great lessons the love of a mommy and the love for books. Now today this 12 and a half year old baby boy can consume christian adult novels in 2 to 3 days. Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." It starts with training and instructing them. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walketh by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou riseth up." We are to be ever looking for those a opportunities to teach and guide our children.
The next thing is discipline. Have you ever noticed that everyone runs to the verse Spare the rob spoil the child? Is this verse in the bible? Of course it is in Proverbs 13:24 "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes." Okay time to dissect the verse rod - stick or round staff, chasteneth - To correct by punishment or reproof; take to task, betimes - early. When you look at God's way it makes a whole lot more sense then when you look at it man's way. The rod (stick or round staff) is easily broken so not to leave a bruise or welt yet it got the attention of the child you are trying to correct. This should never be done in anger as you are just teaching that child that when they get angry they can and should lash out. If you are angry and let's admit it we loose our cool sometimes we should send them to their room and then pray and compose ourselves and then deal with them.
Does God ever use time out or give his children what they have kept whining about just to teach them a lesson? Yep. Look at the children of Israel and how God sometimes dealt with their disobedience. There were times that they were captured and were enslaved. They were to give the land rest on the every seven years. Did they no? So they were put in bondage and if you look and study it out it was exactly that many years that they had not obey that they were in bondage. Another example was when Israel kept crying for a king and wouldn't let up on it. God gave them exactly what they wanted and when they saw it was true what God had said from the start well then they didn't want a king any more. To late sometimes God makes you live with the consequences.
So I guess this is where I stand on the whole issue. Have I always done the right thing as a parent? Have I always trained, guided, and disciplined in the right way? Nope I am human and still learning as I go and grow. Those of you out there just itching to call foul or the authorities just to be in the papers yourself and to try to proove yourself or your view write. Be ware your own sins will find you out. He that is without sin cast the first stone.
Those of you searching for answers to these and other questions need only to pray and seek God's face. Read His word and follow Him. God has never and will never lead you wrong.
