Painful Parenting

Did our parents lovingly discipline us? I got a spanking and a hug from my father. "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth" (Heb. 12:5-6). The Almighty Shaddai, (which is one of the seven proper names for God), lovingly disciplines His children.
In my mind punishment is different than discipline. Punishment is to impose a penalty for our sins. We are incapable of repaying the full price for the cost of our sin, so Christ took the penalty for sin upon Himself. The price has been paid in full on the cross for all who believe. Though the penalty is removed, God still lovingly disciplines us as His children. Discipline is training that corrects, molds, or perfects. Even this, at times, can be a painful but necessary growing process in our lives.

I had to take one of my daughters to the doctor to get her immunization shots when she was small. When she saw the needle on the syringe she panicked and became hysterical. Neither the nurse nor the doctor could hold her steady. I had to take her in my arms and hold her still, and tell her it was going to be alright. She couldn't clearly articulate her feelings, but her eyes said it all. "Daddy, why are you letting them hurt me like this?" At her young tender age, do you think that she could understand the vaccine from the needle was going to protect her from a disease that could kill her? This was beyond her comprehension, but I had a responsibility to protect her from a worse fate. Therefore, I allowed her to be hurt by the doctor in order to save her from something worse.

Was that love? That was the kind of love that parents have for their children. "See now that I, [even] I, [am] he, and [there is] no god (elohiym) with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither [is there any] that can deliver out of my hand" (Deu. 32:39). There are times when we need to realize Almighty (Shaddai), in His power to destroy, is trying to work something out in us. This may seem like a hardship at times, but in the end we will see the wound and the healing were both expressions of His love.

(Taken from my book, "IDENTIFYING GOD". To order a copy, or for more information contact me at edhan362@yahoo.com)