Dare to Discipline

For years, I hated the idea of exercise… until I recently recognized all its benefits. Now I strive to exercise daily and my mind and body thank me.

If we’re being honest, we don’t naturally like difficult or painful things, do we? Yet it’s through pain that some of life’s greatest gifts come from.

• The pain of exercise produces the result of a healthier and longer life.
• The pain of financial restraint produces the gift of financial freedom rather than bondage.
• The pain of life’s trials often produces the sweetness of God’s presence in new ways.

In all areas of life, including parenting, the immediate pain of discipline helps us avoid the long-term pain of regret.

While we’d naturally like to help our children avoid pain as much as possible, godly parents understand that temporary pain now will prevent greater pain later.

In a recent post, I addressed the importance of establishing control in your home as the battle every parent must win. But a parent can’t establish control without discipline. They are two sides of the same coin.

“Discipline is the unmistakable tool that God has given parents to establish control. Consistency is the key.”

According to Proverbs 3:12 and 13:24, disciplining your child is one of the most loving and godly things you can do for them as a parent.

Balanced and biblical discipline will give you a sure foundation of love and respect to build upon for years to come.

By establishing control through discipline early, your child will better understand that you are for them and not against them, and will prepare them for God’s ultimate authority in their lives.

So why do so many parents find it so hard to take disciplining their kids seriously?

Most parents find themselves on one side of the ditch or the other— they are either too harsh in discipline or too passive in love. Neither is healthy.

For the majority of parents, their tendency will be permissiveness over harshness. And my words of advice would be simple—Dare to discipline.

It’s what God has unquestionably called you to do (Proverbs 13:24, 29:15 & 29:17). (I wrote an entire chapter on how to discipline in my book, Godly Parenting.)

As a parent, strive to find the right balance between truth and grace by lovingly yet firmly holding your children accountable for their actions. Their future self (and your grandchildren someday) will thank you for it.

(I wrote an entire chapter on how to discipline in my book, Godly Parenting.

Purchase Godly Parenting in an Ungodly World: How to Raise Not Just Good but Godly Kids Through Heart-Driven Grace-Based Parenting here.

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Godly Parent.

Featured Image by Emmanuel Olguín on Unsplash

About the Author

Andrew Linder has invested his life into full-time children’s and family ministry since 2001. He’s passionate about helping kids and their families. He loves teaching kids the Bible, running, wrestling with his boys, and anything bacon.

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