Discipline (wk 2) -- A Change Within

Last week, we discovered that discipline is for our good, and our child’s good, even though it is painful.  The result is peace and right relationship...with God, and between our child and us.  We can’t just let our child’s wrong behavior and attitudes slide by without addressing them with the proper discipline...or they won’t mature and learn. 

This week, I want to address the question, “What’s the end goal of discipline?”  When we were raising our daughters, we wanted to discipline them in a manner that would cause them to want to change.  Change comes easier when the child wants it, rather than having it forced upon them.  When your child does something wrong, or disobeys you, what is the cause of it?  What makes them turn into a monster at times?  (Why do we turn into a monster at times?)  Where does this come from? And how can we get to the source of why we need discipline? 

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Proverbs tells me that the HEART is where the springs of life flow from.  The heart is the core.  It’s the source of a person’s thoughts and beliefs.  If we can affect our child’s thoughts, and beliefs, we can affect their heart...and in turn their attitudes and actions for good.  What condition is my child’s heart in right now?  Is it tender toward me? and Jesus?  When I discipline my child, am I affecting his heart, and not just trying to change his behavior?  How can I discipline in a manner that causes heart change, not just outward change?  These are questions to ask ourselves (and others) to find out what kind of discipline works for each child.

“Shepherding a Child’s Heart” by Ted Tripp is one of the best books I’ve read on how to reach your child’s heart, and how discipline fits into the picture.  “Written for parents with children of any age...it provides perspectives and procedures for shepherding your child's heart into the paths of life...”  Let’s be like a shepherd, and discipline our “sheep” with love and watch-care over their hearts...so that they will experience flowing springs of life!