Discipline is a Dirty Word

The very word brings to mind Punishment! It’s uncomfortable at best, painful at worst, and takes up time we’d rather spend doing something fun. Why does it matter?


In our youth every day, whether we wanted to or not, we were pushed out of a warm bed and sent to school. Once we were there, it wasn’t all bad. There was recess and usually one teacher or subject we enjoyed more than the rest. And even a test wasn’t too bad, if we had studied for it the night before. Otherwise it was pure tort ure. While actually taking the test, our hearts beat a little faster as we wondered if we’d be kept after school and what our parents would say or do.


Habitual avoidance of discipline complicates our life later on too – it takes effort to keep a list of excuses on hand for being late to work and our boss questions our character. And someday a doctor will warn us not to ignore routines which could extend our lives. Too many self- indulgent years in front of a TV, choosing high-calorie foods have taken their toll. Any muscles and joints that still work hurt! Our world gradually shrinks to a room, a chair, a bed, and suddenly we understand the cost for ignoring discipline.


Simply put, schools, churches and parents try to prepare us to reach our full potential mentally, morally and physically. and good habits get easier with practice.


We reap what we sow, only more so.

A life in the military means immediate response to any command, no matter how meaningless it seems; stifle any questions. There’s no choice, no “carrot", just a "stick", merely "get with the program or get out" or end up behind bars. No excuses. In the military, as in Christian life, strict compliance keeps us ready for whatever comes next and could save lives. Anyone having spent time in a war zone can look back on times when discipline kept them alive.

Any Christian can look back at crisis points when a decision between desires and life- instructions from the Bible can say the same. In our relationship with our Heavenly Father,
habitual compliance instead of questioning His guidance can at least help us avoid potholes in our path and perhaps keep us from losing our way.


And lest we venture into unsafe, forbidden thinking, such as asking God for a sign of His direction, a personal thunderous voice from heaven just for us, remember the story of the man who opened his Bible at random, asking God to instruct him and read the verse Matthew 27:5 “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.” Then, deciding to give God a second chance, flipped again and found John 13:27 – “That thou doest, do quickly”.


But we must remember King Solomon, blessed by God with both wisdom and great wealth surpassing all others in history, and writer of the book of Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs, an extensive map of how to orient our daily lives to please God.
Oh, did we think the New Testament replaced the Old which can be disregarded except as a historical record of God’s chosen? It's full of a wealth of prophecy forming the foundation of proof for the validity of the New Testament. And in the meantime (reinforcing the O.T.), N. T. records how God's people should order our lives, in letters written by the Disciples to the various new churches planted throughout their known world.

We reap what we sow, only more so.

Why Not?

I asked that question a lot as a child. Or simply "Why?" Mother was more  patient than most parents when I whined, but eventually I invariably pushed too far and her sweet voice seemed to thunder “BECAUSE I SAID SO!” End of conversation.

When she patiently gave her reasons, I could usually see her logic, reluctantly, but I knew nothing bad would result from my getting my way. She was always there, protecting me, right? Unless she was trying to make a point, the point of which escaped my tiny brain. There simply was no way she would allow me to be harmed, just to punish me. What I didn't realize was that her knowledge of dangers often were beyond my capacity to understand, or the risk was immediate and there was time only for immediate behavior, not for endless discussion.

One important precept escaped me: "A picture is worth a thousand words". If she allowed me to proceed as I wished, the outcome would be memorable. The bag of candy she warned me not to eat now did ruin my appetite and I missed my favorite fried chicken dinner and also suffered an upset stomach. Staying awake past bedtime to watch the end of the movie did make me oversleep and get to school late. If she really loved me, why did she punish me so harshly? It was her fault I missed a test that morning and had to stay after school to take the test.         Really???

Often vestiges of this attitude follow us as we age; often we still want our own way and trust our God to prove His love daily. We don't want Him to be our Father, we want a doting Grandfather granting our every wish. But God has no grandchildren. He wants to be our Father, the One who guides us away from pitfalls, dangerous situations, helps us to grow to be good people who are kind, respectful, good friends to those around us needing our help. He wants us to grow to be just like Him.

Just as our earthly parents may have done, God tells us how to please Him and offers wonderful rewards for obedience. If we prefer to go our own way, He will remind us there will be trouble. If we insist on ignoring Him, He will step back and allow us to dig ourselves into a hole we can't escape on our own and wait for us to admit our willful behavior and ask for help. We learn that some things we do can't be undone; though forgiven, there may be inevitable, painful consequences we will suffer. If we break a law, we can be forgiven, but may still go to jail.

It does no good to try to excuse our behavior by pointing to others far worse, shaking our fist at our Father and shouting "Why would a loving God allow this to happen?" and certainly honesty would prevent our blaming God for our predicament, claiming "You made me this way".

Maybe we just asked "Why?" once too often and His answer is "BECAUSE I SAID SO!'

           Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them
           understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk I them, but the
           rebellious stumble in them.
                                                           Hosea 14:9