Discipline Saves From Death!

"Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death. Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise." (Proverbs 19:18, 20 NIV)

Considering how the government attempts to intervene when parents discipline their children, it's no wonder we see foolishness that leads to violence and death--the death of children and of others.

We see such stupidity as the "knock-out" activity--where gangs of idiotic males find vulnerable older citizens to just "knock them out" just because. When young people have no respect for the elderly, it is a strong indicator that no discipline was ever employed in their homes. If they don't respect their parents, they are certainly not going to respect others. And every time the idiots are caught--their parents try to defend their action and the worst excuse in the world is--there was no father in the home.

Why was there no father in the home? Because someone forgot to discipline them when they were younger and many are locked behind bars or in morgues or cemeteries. The lack of discipline has a domino effect on many in our society and it tends to be a generational problem. However, even if a father is not in the home, mothers can and have been strong leaders in the home, when they care enough to teach their children right from wrong and live it as an example in front of them.

But there is another reason why discipline is lacking in so many homes. Many parents are afraid to discipline their children because of laws pertaining to corporal punishment. Children have been encouraged to "report" any act of corporal punishment because we have adult idiots who decided that if we spank a child, we damage their "emotional growth". Well, I'm against child abuse, but I'm a strong advocate for corporal punishment--as prescribed by God--using the rod (figuratively) of correction when needed.

There is a difference between beating a child and abusing them--breaking bones, putting them hospitals and causing death. I would never advocate abuse as a method of discipline. And I would never advocate using any method of scarring a child or doing anything that leads to death or disfigurement--ESPECIALLY WITH CHILDREN UNDER THREE YEARS-OLD. Tapping a child's hand lightly when they're doing something wrong usually gets their attention. But before anyone can try to discipline a child, they must take the time to teach the child--if after being taught right from wrong a child persists on doing wrong, then disciplinary measures must be established and used repeatedly to deter the negative behavior.

Generally speaking, most children who are disciplined at home before they start school, are wiser academically and never cause a teacher a problem (except for the transition years of puberty). When schools are limited in doling out consequences for misbehavior, students tend to try to rule the schools, and when they are tossed out the door, drop-out rates increase and the potential for poverty-stricken individuals increases. More poverty, more crime--more crime more jails and the cycle never ends--and it won't until we understand the necessity for appropriate discipline.

The wages of sin--the payment and end result is death. Though we don't often call misbehavior in kids, sin, it is and we should treat it as such, disciplining them to keep them from experiencing--unnecessary deaths.

We must teach them to accept responsibility for their actions and accept the consequences that ensue so they might live and others won't have to fear for their lives at the hands of undisciplined, out-of-control, people in this society. When we learn to obey God, we are wise; if we don't--we set ourselves up for failure.

God loves us enough to provide us instruction and consequences for actions. We need to love kids enough to provide them with sound, Godly instruction, and consequences for their actions and see them live to the full potential God has designed for them.