Discipline is Based in Love and Relationship – (Proverbs 13:24)

Daily Bible Study
This verse is less about corporal discipline than it is about relationship. As parents we are called to have a deep, loving and giving relationship with our children. We should not be strangers to our children, nor they to us. The communication should be plentiful and well established early on. Expectations and standards of morality should have been modeled long before they were ever taught. Contrary to the message our modern world sends out, children are just that children. They are not adults and they do not possess the wisdom and maturity of an adult.

They are not little grown-ups, and they are not an alter ego of ourselves, nor are they a means to bolster our pride and accomplishments. Each child is an individual, a unique gift from God and our correction should be modeled after God's correction and what Jesus did for us at the Cross. And long before correction is needed, long before any talks are required, countless hours of time spent in the building and sharing of lives should have occurred. Remember our guidance which should be based on morality, our values and who we really are in Christ Jesus our Lord. Should have been modeled and evident for our children to see and study, long before it is ever taught, or become an issue of discipline.