Is Discipline Important

Over the past several years, I have worked with a few different women.  They were each very different from each other, but they all had one thing in common.  Each of them believed the lies of this world that to discipline and tell their child no would cause him mental harm.  This lie is the cause of the mental harm that their children face.  Like us, children are sinners.  If they are breathing, they have the capacity and the tendency to make wrong, sinful decisions.  Children, like adults need to be told what to do, and what is expected of them.  I'm not saying we need to punish them every time they make a wrong choice (God is rich in mercy and has given it to us so freely, we cannot refrain from demonstrating this mercy to our children). 

Discipline is not merely the correction of and execution of punishment.  Discipline is coming alongside our children, letting them know that we understand it is hard to obey.  Showing them our faults, and our own need to seek God's forgiveness.  Discipline is coming to our children and walking the path with them to help teach them to choose obedience over our selfish desires.

I found Grace Driscoll's article Godly Mother: Discipline can be Painful to be an encouragement when I read it the other day.  I hope you also find it to be an encouragement to continue seeking God's best for our children by teaching them to deny themselves and seek God's truth.