Everyone seems to have something to say about raising kids, especially when it comes to discipline.  Friends and family members have advice.  There are countless books filled with countless differing philosophies.  Every voice out there seems to want to tell us how to raise our children.  In these situations, and in others, it is always a good idea to run to God and to His Word.  As much as the world hates to hear it, truth does not change.  The Lord knows and wants to teach us how to raise and discipline our kids.  

So, if this writing finds you like I find myself many times, wondering if I "handled that right," then remember that the answer is with God. He knows that we do not enjoy disciplining our children, but he reminds us throughout the Bible how vital it is for us to teach them right from wrong.  Proverbs 19:18 says "Discipline your son while there is hope, and do not desire his death."  The implication in that verse is that if we fail to discipline our children then we lead them to their destruction.  Chapter 13 and verse 24 says "He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently."  So, the Lord lays out a clear choice.  We must either love our children enough to discipline them or hate them enough not to.

Gentlemen, the nights when we head off to bed with heavy hearts wondering if we did the right thing for our kids are a tale as old as time.  I say this because there are times when legitimate questions arise.  We are cautioned in Ephesians 6:4 not to provoke our children to anger, but instead to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.  Knowing the difference is hard sometimes.  Our hearts and ears must always be set on the Lord so that we can see the difference.  Luke 15:20 tells us about the father who sees his wayward son returning to him in repentance.  The Bible says that "while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced, and kissed him."  This is the love of a father who with a broken heart allowed his son to leave in the first place knowing the hard lessons that awaited him out in the world.  This same father was looking for his son's return.  He wasn't standing on the porch with the belt in his hand shouting "I thought so!" down the driveway.  He recognized repentance and forgave everything and rejoiced that his boy had come home safely.  Whatever they have done and however we discipline them for it, our kids need to know that they can always come back.