The Wages of Sin

Our dishwasher that is a little over a year old mysteriously lost power yesterday causing Katie and I to hand wash the dinner dishes.  

Our system was-I washed and she rinsed and set to dry.  We chatted about things and were genuinely having a good time. Naturally, I am a little faster than her so her side of the sink still had a few dishes to rinse by the time I was finished washing.  I stepped away from the sink as she rinsed and began wiping the counters. 

Not long after, Katie turned around standing on her little stool with the water running and called to me sobbing.  "Mom, I have been so mean to you.  I feel so sad.  I just feel so sad inside. Please forgive me, Mom."  I rushed over and held her while she cried so hard.  

School and life can be frustrating some days for us and parenting is not exactly a science.  So her and I have days that don't go smoothly.  Mostly last week and this past weekend has been a bit of an attitude struggle.  It seemed she was getting spanked quite often.  

Why we spank: 

There are a lot of negative views about spanking.  Some people were spanked as children and remember a fed up enraged yelling and angry parent.  This is by far the absolute worse way to spank your child!   There is most definitely a difference in effectiveness when you spank out of love and correction.  When you speak calmly to your child, you show them your ability to exercise self control.  A controlled parent will ensure the child they have no need to fear the parent loosing control.  Instead they fear the punishment and not the parent.  

The Bible says "Withhold not correction from the child; for if thou beatest him with a rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod and shalt deliver his soul from hell." Proverbs 23;13-14 Something happens to her when I teach her constraint.  Not only is it a settling of the matter between us two, but it's also teaches her that negative action has consequences. The world us adults live in is full of consequences.  We don't get spanked anymore as adults, our consequences are much worse.  I would choose a spanking any day over dying in a car crash because I didn't obey traffic rules. 

We are their only world.  

If we use compassion and "second chances" on a normal basis in the discipline arena, (I am only referring to compassion in discipline) they could expect this sort of compassion from our world.  

Let's face it, there is none!

When they become citizens of our adult world and lack training with constraint, they will inevitably fall into the hands of an incompassionate worldly judge with huge consequences of jail or even worse.  Seeing it from this aspect makes it easy for me to save my own feelings about spanking to save her future, more important, her soul.  To teach her anything other is to shelter her from the world she will face.   

If we neglect to spank our children, we are disobeying God's authority on discipline.

And if we are disobeying His authority, we are worse than our children that are sinning! We, having full knowledge of right or wrong, will be held accountable. Our children's souls are at stake.  We can not afford to neglect this commandment. 

  

"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him"  Proverbs 22:15

Could this scripture really be relevant today? The proof is in the pudding. 

So after we shared this moment, we prayed together.  I explained to her that when she asked Christ into her heart, He gave her the Holy Spirit; that one of the Holy Spirits job is to help us know right from wrong.  I told her I believed God was helping her understand her sin so we asked God to forgive her.  

This was a beyond amazing moment for myself. Unprovoked out of the blue repentance from her made my day!  

"Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea he shall give delight unto thy soul." Proverbs 29:17

Put down the modern parenting books, the Bible's techniques are the real deal! 

Here's a pic from the Shingdig this weekend! And I didn't get shunned from the "jean skirt" convention this weekend for wearing jeans and makeup.  LOL  As you can see, Jeramey truly enjoys posing for pictures :) 

Did I mention that Katie has a sweet longing for things and times of the past?  She is my old soul.  This is her Goodwill find she was super proud of!  

Such a lady!