The Rod and The Staff

| By Racheeta Nayak |

Parenting is a very serious responsibility. Some parents fear being disliked by their children and so avoid correcting them. This is a mistake.

The bible instructs parents to discipline their children. Proverbs 13:24 Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. I disliked my mother as a child as I never understood why it was necessary for her to correct me the way she did. But now, when I look back, it makes sense. She did it because she loved me.

In Psalm 23 :4 the psalmist says, Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, For you are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. The rod is used to correct and the staff to guide. No one in their right sense would say correction is comforting, but do you know why the psalmist said that? He said so because he knew that the one who corrects and guides (GOD) is Trustworthy.

Some times parents just point out the mistakes but fail to teach their children ‘why’ it is a mistake and how to correct the mistake. This leaves them puzzled, as they have not understood the error, the source of the error and how to eliminate it in the future.

Parents are called to teach their children to live a life that honours God. If not taught at home, someone else will teach them the wrong things, and this can be dangerous especially in times like these. Parenting requires a lot of patience and effort. We need to think through the issues of life for ourselves, so that we can explain it to the children. Remember how patient God is with us. A meaningful relationship with the children makes it less of a burden and more enjoyable.

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