I know the following verses are not popular with the modern mind, but they are what they are…
My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. – Proverbs 3:11-12
My friends, I know that parenting can be difficult, and not all children respond the same way to discipline. However, I do believe that a lack of discipline – specifically of the corporal punishment type – is to blame for a great many ills in our society.
But even if the above verses don’t expressly describe “spankings,” discipline of any kind is hard for many to endure. So often, when God does anything to try to correct us, we cry out like a toddler who’s getting a whack on the rear end, “Your killing me!”
Now that I’m thinking about it, have you ever heard a TV evangelist explain that sometimes what we are going through just might be God giving us a spiritual spanking, a heavenly whipping? I’ve never heard it. As a matter of fact, I’ve never even heard Joel Osteen talk about divinely-appointed timeouts!
But if God is our Father, and if loves us like He says He does, then we need to expect a Father’s discipline every once in a while.
Credit: Wikipedia
Several years ago we were watching reruns of the old show Family Affair. In it, the little boy, Jody (his sister was Buffy), started acting out, but nobody could understand why. He was always very respectful and never did anything wrong, but now he was acting horribly for seemingly no reason.
Come to find out, Jody had heard about a boy at school who’s dad had spanked him. When he asked about it, the boy told Jody that it wasn’t that bad, because at least it showed his dad loved him.
Now, you see, Jody and Buffy were orphans living with their uncle; he never spanked them. Sadly, Jody put two and two together and assumed, because he never got spanked, he wasn’t loved. He was trying to get in trouble in order to feel loved.
So, be thankful for the times when God says “No.” Be thankful for the times He takes us behind the woodshed.
“For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth…”
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Proverbial Thought 
April 20th, 2018 at 9:52 am
Well said. Discipline is very important. The “Family Affair” story is perfect.
Be blessed.
April 20th, 2018 at 12:26 pm
Good post, Anthony. It can be really hard for people to hear that message because so many have only experienced either abuse or neglect. They have nothing positive to compare discipline to. That is one reason why this message is so important to teach. If no one is ever allowed to correct us, than we aren’t loved, we aren’t protected. Nobody cares about our well being. Also,whenever God says something like, “knock it off,” the reaction is panicked, anxious, rebellious, “God hates me. Gods rejecting me.” So a lack of discipline actually leads people to feel anxious, unloved, and eventually convinced God hates them. In other words, it’s unloving.
April 20th, 2018 at 12:30 pm
And yours is a good comment 🙂
April 20th, 2018 at 3:11 pm
“Discipline” encompasses many ways of correcting behavior. Lack of spanking does not necessarily mean lack of discipline (and thereto a lack of caring).
If a spanking is needed then you need to administer it, but the infraction may not warrant it, or a spanking may not be effective — maybe the child is too old to be spanked. Maybe taking away the car keys or being grounded would be better.
April 20th, 2018 at 3:17 pm
Yes, that is all true, of course. Thanks for your comment. However, do note that I did qualify what I said by stating that the verses being addressed did not necessarily mean literal corporal punishment. But again, thanks for commenting – I appreciate it.
June 1st, 2018 at 10:56 am
Teaching discipline (and self-discipline) in a loving way is a crucial element in parenting. I think parents are overly compassionate when they try to save their kids from experiencing the unfortunate consequences of their actions.
June 1st, 2018 at 12:35 pm
Good insight. Thanks.