The Art of Discipline (wk 1)

Have you ever thought of discipline as an art?  It must be an art because cultures all over the world, and down through the centuries have dealt with discipline in a multitude of ways...and beautiful people have emerged.  Some cultures use fear to discipline their children.  Some use shame.   Some don’t discipline at all, and let the child be in control.  With all the different ways children have been raised, there is not one right way.  But, thankfully, there are principles that are given to us in scripture to help us figure this out!

Most of us can't get past the pain of discipline, and would rather avoid it.  Yet, God tells us that, “He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness”.   Wow.  It's for our GOOD...and, so we can be like Him.  If He disciplines us in this way, how much more should we do the same for our children?  We also read that discipline is not joyful...it’s sad.  So who wouldn't want to avoid it?  However, if we allow ourselves to go through it, and be trained by it, we experience peace and good in the end.  We are right with our heavenly Father.  As parents, let's discipline our children in such a way that the outcome will be good for them, bring peace, and mature them in their relationship with God.

Hebrews 12:10-11  “...but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” (NASB)

 "But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God." (The Message)

Imagine if the way you discipline your children:

--is for their good (does not shame them, or cause them undue fear)

--is so their character becomes more like God’s

--brings peace and right living?

Sign me up!

In the weeks ahead, we will be looking at discipline as an art.  What does it look like?  How do we practice it in a healthy way?  What does it accomplish?  It's for our good.  Sharing in His holiness.