18/01/2011 - WHAT KIND OF PARENTS ARE WE?

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He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. (Proverbs 13:24)

Once I asked a mother who was beating up her son why she was doing that. With a most confident countenance, she told me she was obeying God\’s Word. For her, the rod that the Bible mentions, which parents should not spare, is meant to be taken literally. After explaining that the rod was the Word, I wondered how many people have also done the same. The conclusion I have reached is staggering: most of God’s people think as that mother. Then, I also noticed that many pastors preach it that way. Frankly, it hurts to see an adult unload all his anger on a little child that was not being properly brought up by that very adult.

We cannot allow children to grow without any guideline for their instruction. I know people who think this way but I think they are making a huge mistake, because there is nothing better for any human being than being corrected by someone they trust. We must show them what the Bible says about a certain topic and tell them that if they do not make amends, they will let the enemy use them and the price to be paid will be exceedingly high. If we do so, the little ones will assimilate the correct teaching and will straighten their ways.

Whoever fails to teach their children the knowledge of the Scriptures is worse than the unbeliever and denies the faith (I Timothy 5:8). In fact, this person hates his children because later they will get involved in problems and will put the blame on those who did not warn him. He who fails to discipline with the rod of God proves that he does not love his own family. The same applies to those parents who pretend not to see their children’s wrongdoings or who take pleasure in the sins they commit. Their error will have eternal consequences because if they fail to learn from the truth, their children may do things that will mark them forever, both in this life and in the hereafter.

If you really love your children, as soon as you realize they are doing something wrong, you should be very serious about it and show them that their attitude is not fit for those who fear the Lord. Now if your son or daughter tells you of a friend’s parent who acts otherwise, then you will realize how terrible the consequences of an improper upbringing are because even your children were influenced by it.

The right time to discipline should be soon after the mistake has been committed. The child must understand that God\’s servants do not act that way. Even if this act has given them some benefits, joy or profit, it should be immediately abandoned. Never be a bad role model for your children.

Our children’s conduct show whether they are loved or not. He who allows them to do what they see fit is actually showing that he has no feeling of love towards the Lord and neither does he care for his own offspring.

In Christ with love,

R. R. Soares