The Work of Discipline

5/30/2017 

Proverbs 13.24 Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. 

Childrearing has always been a bit of a conundrum – parents want their children to imitate them, and, they do. An undisciplined life will tend to beget an undisciplined life. The hard part is the rod. 

It takes hard work to train up a child in the way he should go, but the payoff is, he won’t depart from it when he is old. He may question your ways or think he has it all figured out, but time and experience will bring him back to the truth of what he was taught. 

I see many parents today simply ignoring their kid’s behavior. Kids will remain kids until they are taught to be adults. Fools will remain fools until they are taught to be wise. Loving a child in the manner above will work toward his success in life when he becomes an adult. 

It does seem harsh that a requirement in childrearing is the rod. I think we tend to think of a piece of 1¾ inch doweling when we think of the rod. That’s not really the picture here, but suffice it to say, the rod was suitable to get one’s attention, and to help cement in the mind of the recalcitrant child that there are consequences for their actions. 

We moderns want to call ourselves more progressive or civilized than to take the approach of beating our children with an implement on instruction. But two things to consider: 1) the rod is an implement, 2) the hand or the fist is demeaning. And there’s a big difference between building a child up with discipline than tearing him down in punishment. 

Discipline must be meted out in love with wisdom. Anger is demeaning. But sometimes anger is hard to contain, so discipline may be more ardent at times; but the biggest factor is simply: sparing the rod, spoils the child and reveals what kind of people we really are: we don’t care for our child or for the ones our unruly child torments. An undisciplined child causes his parents to be despised. 

Discipline is hard work, but diligence in discipline makes for a happier home, and for a wholesome society. Snowflakes on modern college campuses may cause one to question their parentage. It is the hard work of godly childrearing that merits appreciation from the child who is well taught and the society that benefits from the diligence of godly parents. Think about Kim Jong In… 

If nothing else, I want to come alongside those who are training up their children and applaud their efforts, and to support them by the way I treat their kids. Children are not just to be seen and not heard; children add spice and variety to every part of life. They need to be cared for, and carefully directed so that the fabric of our society remains intact for generations to come. 

Father God, thank You for the charge to carefully discipline our children now, so that they don’t need to be punished by society later. Help me to support parents not only in their work, but also to reward good behavior with the kids with whom I deal – Amen.