The Rod of Correction!

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? (Hebrews 12:7)

I remember being a true revel as a child, often being easily influenced by other children, for I enjoyed the escapades and adventures of free wild living.

I remember going on the streets and playing for hours and doing things which most people in those days, and I today, would consider negative, although they were mostly harmless plays. They were negative because I was acting in disobedience to my parents, because frequently they had to send my sister to find me on the streets, because often I would not return home until after dark and I was only a child.

They were negative because the things I was doing were shaping the person I was going to be and they were mostly driven to find the quick and easy dollar, to hustle the opportunity, to force my way into getting the things that I wanted.

Most parents would consider those to be positive traits, yet without the harsh discipline at home that path would have only led me to crime. And although I was not a thief, I did get to steal small items in a few occasions; yet I mostly created ways to get money or stuff from others.

My parents however had no intention of letting me turn into a crook, thus I paid costly for my revelry. Many days I spent them tied up to an avocado tree, being treated as a dog, for my parents said if I wanted to live like a dog they were willing to arrange for that, on many occasions I felt the rod on my bums and legs, a few days I spent them kneeling on a corner for hours with my face to the wall. Did I enjoy those punishments? Of course not, where they extreme in nature? I believe they were. I would never submit my children to such barbaric methods of discipline, if a parent did such things today he or she would end up in prison and under most circumstances I would agree with it, yet the underlying question is; did I deserve such discipline? I categorically believe I did. Yes I did, and I can understand how many of you would disagree with that statement. That punishment which was apparently cruel and excessive, saved me from a life of misery and defeat, it rescued me from myself. Did it have any psychological effect on me? Well, maybe it did, for I did eventually learn to stay out of the streets, and how reprehensible it can be to walk in disobedience. I also learned that revelry is impractical; and of course, I developed a special love for avocados, and for dogs.

That was the way parents who cared dealt with their children in those days, at least where I came from. I had five other brothers and sisters, and although some of them did get their share of discipline, they never had to go through these extremes, because they did not have the problem I had, and they were not doing the things I was doing.

Did the discipline work? I feel tempted to say yes, however by itself I do not believe it would have had any lasting effect. Many other factors like modeling, and guidance and support and nurturing on the part of my parents had to complement the discipline for it to work as it did. But I am convinced that the most influential factor was the fact that at age eleven I found Jesus, I fell in love with Him and that changed everything.

Since I was just a few months old and until I was twelve, we lived in a very rough neighborhood, not rough like you understand rough, I am talking extreme rough, extreme poverty and corruption and prostitution and homosexuality and crime and drugs and alcohol, you name it. Anything that is written in the list of bad stuff and bad people was found in that place, and we could not move out, for we could not afford to live anywhere else, in fact at the time we could not even afford to live there.

Many neighbors openly complained to my parents about their methods of discipline, but I cannot count the children of those neighbors among the survivors of that life; some were killed some died of aids or other diseases, others are still in jail, some others can still be found in that same neighborhood, sitting on the corners, begging so they can have the next shot or the next fix.

And although I cannot count one person from that neighborhood who did not end up dead or in prison or outcast or in extreme poverty; at home we were six children; five of us completed a university career and have kids who either have a university degree or are on the way to get it, our older sister did not get to go through university, yet all four of her children are today reputable professionals.

My point is "train a child on the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6)

"The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgrace his mother" (proverbs 29:15)

"He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him. (Proverbs 13:24)

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. (Proverbs 22:15).

I could quote a few dozens verses of the bible which teach us the importance of discipline, yet I believe my point is made. And we could get into whether a literal rod is appropriate or not, yet that is another subject. I personally do not use the literal rod with my children, but only because it is not required, and this is a point I would like to touch briefly.

Discipline starts with discipline, and that gets done from birth. I believe a child need to be guided lovingly, tenderly, yet with discipline from day one.

And biblical guidance will bring the best out of any child, yet the best training is modeling, for what we do they will do, what we speak they will speak, and the way we think they will think. 'Do what I say, not what I do' does not work; leaving the character formation of your child to the teachers at school does not work either. A child will be what we train him to be, at home, that is a task for the parents and nobody else, and it is a full time job.

If you give a child the opportunity to grow in the fear of God and in the study of his word, chances are there will be little need for correction; this is something I practice at home and it spares me the pain of having to discipline my children often, and it spares me the pain of having to use the rod.

My children are not saints, but with the help of the Holy Spirit I am leading them to sanctification, whether I will succeed is not my part, that is in the hands of God; my part is to be consistent and persistent and tireless in this God given task, and to practice what I preach so that they learn by my example.

The verse at the beginning of this note was not meant for it, I was intending to write about a totally different subject, but the Holy Spirit led me in this direction, to Him be all Glory and Honor and praise, from everlasting to everlasting.

I will write about that other subject tomorrow, if God allows it. Amen

God bless all of you!

Rev. Jose A. Luna

A servant of Christ Jesus