Proverbs 19:18 NIV
Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.
I remember growing up my grandma used to say to my cousins after she disciplined them and they were crying, "I rather you cry now instead of me crying later." As a child, I did not understand why she would say that to them. However, when I became a parent, I found myself saying the same statement to my son. I took her statement a step further, I might cry later but I don’t want my tears to be driven by guilt that I did not do my best to bestow values and discipline in his life.
My son, like your children, has his own life’s journey. As my husband often says to my son, there is a university that everyone must go through. It is called " university of life." Let us not love our children to their death. Let's discipline our children. To be clear, discipline is not punishment, abuse, or threats. It's the act of showing or guiding someone in a positive direction or helping them see the error of their ways in a loving caring manner. Will your children always listen to you? No, but at least you would have taken a stand to not participate in their decision to walk toward spiritual or physical death. Though the tears might flow as they walk toward darkness, but it will be tears of love and sadness knowing that you have guided them through discipline the best that you can. Ask yourself and assess, how you are doing in making sure you are not a willing participant in your children's death? Love your children enough to discipline them even when it hurts or might even cause a strain in your relationship. The Hebrews writer said it well comparing God's discipline to our earthly parents’. Hebrews 12:7-11, “...No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Are you a willing participant in your children’s death?
