Crown Molding

(Proverbs 23:13 KJV)  Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

Here is another issue on which our culture has rejected the teaching of the Bible and we find ourselves going along with society instead of the word.  Admit it.  We are uncomfortable with this verse.  “Discipline” (4148)  has been redefined by the psychologists and social workers.  We have seen so many cartoons and situation comedies that make the child to be the wise member of the family that we are reluctant to act like adults. 

This is a command, not a suggestion.  We are to discipline our children.  Because of the second part of the verse we tend to assume this means beating a child.  Not so.  The word is translated “instruction” more often than “discipline” in the NASB.  The idea is to impose your mature, experienced and informed view on a young mind that is immature and ignorant.  This does not happen naturally.  The child naturally resists.  If you don’t believe that you either have no children, let them raise themselves or were blessed with only easy kids. 

We had our difficult child first and I am glad.  If our first child had been our easy child then the second would have driven us to desperation.  As it was we were pleasantly surprised by the second.  But both needed to be taught the ways of God.  We had to find ways to impress on our difficult child that we were the adults.  It was a long battle and often I wished I could return him for a refund.  Fortunately we couldn’t and he has turned out just fine.

Our “rod” (7626) was usually a chair in a corner or denial of use of the computer.  The key was that we were commissioned by God to raise a godly child.  We could not abandon that because it was too hard.

So?  Be a strong adult.  Accept the role.  If your children are still in the formative years, be strong as a parent.  If yours are grown, support them as parents when the time comes.  We are in need of a godly generation.  Be a part of the molding.