Disciplining

How important and Godly it is to discipline your children. Today's world is overprotective of their children. I'm not talking about punishment with a rod. But disciplining a child should be what runs through the mind of a parent always. A child is given to your hands. He is your responsibility. Loving and encouraging him alone will not let him bloom. When he makes a wrong choice, he needs to be course corrected. Otherwise his mindset would become as if ' everything is okay', 'all roads lead to Rome' and 'everything in this world is acceptable'.

David failed to discipline his son Adonijah, failed to even ask him, 'Why are you doing that?' Probably not when Adonijah raised himself as king. But it is said, David never disciplined him at any time. How saddening?

A wonderful king, a humble person, a man after God's own heart, always forgiving, never forgetting his love to his friend, turns out to be a poor father.

He did not punish Amnon for sinning against Tamar.

We have never seen him correct Absalom, when he was sinful as well. No face to face confrontation.

Adonijah was never disciplined.

What about Solomon? In the final instruction David gives his son, it is the list of people who needs to be avenged.

What a bad example to set before his own son?

And what ultimately happens to these sons?

Amnon is killed by Absalom, his brother.

Absalom is killed by Joab, the chief of army.

Adonijah is killed by Solomon, his brother.

Solomon finally did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

Yes, you should love your children, but disciplining them is part of your love. Correcting their course and punishing them for their wrongs is how you show you love them. God could have handled us with love alone and forgotten all our sins. But sin had to be tackled with and that is why blood is still dripping from the cross. John 3:16. Love and punishment go hand in hand.

Hiding under the bush, shoving under the carpet and draping with love and gifts will never raise a man or woman of substance, a man or woman who seeks after God's heart. Yet love them unconditionally as our Father has loved us.

Here is what the bard had wrote sometime back about disciplining

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