The Blessing of the Father’s Discipline
By Emily Rose Massey
“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11, NASB).
Recently, I have been studying parenting styles, and it has helped me better understand how I grew up and want to raise my boys. In my understanding, raising kids with an intentional lack of guidance (“do whatever makes you happy” mentality) causes more harm to them in the end. Children need guidance from their parents, especially when they are young and don’t fully understand the world around them yet. “Free-range” parenting is quite harmful to a child's psyche; they are children, not chickens.
There is also a growing and popular parenting philosophy called “gentle parenting.” According to Parents.com, “Gentle parenting is a means of parenting without shame, blame, or punishment. It is centered on partnership as both parents and children have a say in this collaborative style.” It sounds reasonable. Especially, not shaming or blaming our children when they are disobedient. But where I take issue with this approach is in the lack of discipline, and in the lack of seeing the parent as the one who leads in the relationship. This approach to parenting creates a child-centered home.
God designed the family for each person to have a specific role: the father, the mother, and the children. Guidance and discipline are both gifts from parents to their children. God also designed our relationship with Him and His church to have specific roles as He leads us, empowers us to walk in obedience, and disciplines us when we have sinned and disobeyed Him. God chastens the ones He loves (Hebrews 12:6). Instead of running from His discipline, it benefits us to see the often difficult and uncomfortable reality of discipline and correction as a blessing in our own life when the Father chastens us. He allows consequences to touch us in the hope they will lead us back to the path of righteousness.
“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11, NASB).
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Even as believers, we sin and disobey God. In Christ, we are covered in His righteousness and stand forgiven, but we must still repent our disobedience. 1 John 1 reminds us of the importance of confessing our sins:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, NKJV).
Trying to hide our sin causes us to hide from God, similar to Adam and Eve when sin first entered the world. They felt overcome with shame. Because of Jesus, and the finished work of the cross, we are forever made righteous in our position as we stand before the Father. We are forever forgiven, yet when we sin it causes our fellowship with God to be hindered, making it easy for us to stray from Him. The Father’s love toward us never changes when we sin, yet we may still experience consequences and correction for our disobedience. Repentance, as a believer, keeps fellowship with our Father open and unhindered.
Sin can often cause our hearts to grow callous, decreasing our sensitivity toward the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Conviction, repentance, and discipline are all great gifts from our Father in heaven. God’s love is unconditional and perfect, and nothing can stop His pursuit of us. He wants us to be honest with Him so that we can see real transformation happen in our lives, as He conforms us to the image of His Son. Let us joyfully receive godly discipline, which yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Then, we get to participate in His holiness and reflect Him to the world.
Further Reading:
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Related Resource: How Habit Stacking Will Help You Discipline Your Mind, Body, & Spirit
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