The Gift of Discipline

I have spent some time lately thinking about the purpose and importance of disciplining children now that Joey is getting a little older and has begun to develop an awareness of his actions and their results. It might seem kind of early to be thinking about such things, especially considering that he is just shy of six months old. Then again, what is the magical age at which a child suddenly grasps the concept of right and wrong and can appropriately be disciplined for his wrong choices? How do I determine when, how, and why I should begin to discipline my son?

After doing a bit of reading from Scripture, I was surprised to find how much God has to say about the concept of discipline. Here are just a few observations I made:

• Children are, by their very nature, foolish. Proverbs 22:15a says: "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child." The dictionary defines foolish as "devoid of good sense or judgment." This perfectly describes the innocent heart of a child who has no life experience to naturally produce such judgment.
• Children also naturally tend toward sin. As we well know, thanks to Adam, all humanity is born with a sin nature. This is important to mention in a discussion of discipline because a child whose nature is both sinful and foolish (or lacking judgment) is literally a lethal combination when left unguided by his parents.
  
• Children (and adults) gain wisdom through one of two ways: Instruction or Experience. We can either heed the warning someone gives us about a particular situation or we can experience the negative consequences of that situation ourselves. When we choose to discipline our child in a certain area, we are giving them wisdom they couldn't otherwise gain without experiencing the negative consequences themselves -- and that could be downright dangerous. Proverbs 5:22-23 makes this point very clear: "The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly." Left to his own foolishness, I guarantee you Joey would already be dead.
  
• Disciple and discipline are from the same Latin root word, Discipulus, which means to learn. When I discipline Joey, I am essentially teaching him how to choose the appropriate behavior in a given circumstance for his own protection and well-being. Discipline isn't a bad word; on the contrary, it's essential to the proper development of our children!
  
• When we discipline our children, we are giving them an incredible gift. When we work to impart the virtues of self-control and right judgment into the heart of our children, we are freeing them to be truly effective and creative individuals now and later in life. Scripture wisely points out: "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls." (Proverbs 25:28) Think about it: a city is a powerful thing when it is governed well and surrounded by protective walls that keep out foreign threats. However, when no such governance exists, the city is left vulnerable because those boundaries aren't maintained. Similarly, when a child has been appropriately and consistently trained to understand the importance of behavioral boundaries, he has been given a great freedom to explore and enjoy life without having to continually experience the negative consequences of wrong choices he never knew were risky in the first place.
• God's discipline over us is a perfect parallel. Go back and re-read everything I've written, this time replacing any reference to "parent" with "God," and any reference to "child" with your own name. You will be overcome by the reality of God's goodness as He disciplines us in order to perfect us for His sake.

^"Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." ~ Hebrews 12:10-11