Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.

He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded.

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Proverbs 12:1; 13:13; 13:24, (1978 NIV)

My kids sent me the picture of a paddle from a shop in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. One the side of the paddle was the inscription, "Make Kids Great Again".

We have it all backwards in our modern world. We have decided that discipline is cruel and unusual, but that tolerance of bad behavior is love. I guess Dr. Spock was the first really prominent proponent of this brave new philosophy, and you have to admit, it is a philosophy that has changed the world... but not for the better.

When parents started applying this new way of thinking in the 1960's it seemed like the right way to go. After all, we were an enlightened society, and enlightened societies leave the ways of barbarism behind. So parents and schools started "reasoning" with their children instead of punishing them for conduct that was detrimental. Now I want to quickly say that reason is an important part of discipline for if you can convince a child or adult that certain behaviors are unacceptable, then they will desire to emulate that conduct. 

But what happens when reason doesn't take? What happens when you calmly explain to your 10-month-old toddler that electricity is dangerous and that they shouldn't grab hold of the cord with their drooly little hands? A wise parent will realize that a moderate slap of the hand and a firm "no" will usually do the trick. A Spock-educated parent will do no such thing. They will tell baby that mama and daddy love them and do not want them to get hurt. They will childproof every outlet in the house and spend their entire day with eagle eyes glued to the child to make sure that they haven't missed anything. They will dress baby in bubble wrap in case of a fall. But they will never, never, never say the word no, and they will never spank their precious angel child for they love him!

Now, I may just be bitter, but when I was growing up our schools did not have a staff of counsellors or a seven-step method of discipline for the unruly child that usually ended with a parent/teacher conference in which the teacher apologizes for having failed their child. It's true that there was generally a counsellor on staff, but their counsel was often to stop doing stupid things and you wouldn't get hurt so often. They did have a two-step method of discipline that was eerily similar to that of mom and dad's. They would tell you what behavior was expected, and any violations were remedied with a swat. It was simple. It was effective. It did not require a metal detector at the door or a squad of security on staff. Oddly enough, kids somehow received an education despite the harsh climate in which they were taught. 

But what happens when angel child leaves the home and school? What happens when they are at another place that hasn't had the foresight to childproof every item in the house? What happens when your baby (now 18) is let loose on the world with the understanding that "no" is not a word to be used in their presence? The answer is that they will likely crash and burn. And then, if they still cannot discipline themselves enough to not conduct themselves with bad behavior, at that point society will have provide the discipline for them.

This is why God provides such clear (and sometimes harsh seeming) instruction from time to time. We don't like hearing that we or our angel children might be stupid, but that's precisely what we are when we hate discipline. The one who has the discipline to wait for traffic to slow before crossing the street loves themself. The one who steps out onto the busy highway with no regard to the consequence really is stupid. The one who laughs at rules because rules are restrictive and are made for the little people will pay for their folly. And the parent who raises their children without punishment as a final form of discipline may just end up visiting their children in prison or at the morgue someday.

The fact is that appropriate discipline is an act of love. It is loving to give your children the proper instruction. If they are old enough to understand, it is loving to give them the reason for that instruction. But it is also loving to teach an unruly child that there are real consequences for refusing to walk in the way of discipline. A parent who does not let his child play in traffic is a loving parent. Satan and his adherents want us to believe that a parent or teacher who would spank is somehow cruel and hateful. While it is true that there are some cruel and hateful authorities, those who issue proper punishment to go along with proper discipline are in reality taking part in the most gentle and loving conduct that is possible.

By doing so they will raise children to be good citizens and, even more importantly, good servants of God. Good citizens and servants rarely have to be visited in either prison or at the morgue. They become a credit to society and a joy to God. And they will become a joy to you, for they will be the kind of people that you respect and admire. This type of pleasant "end product" is the duty of every parent. Here's how the inspired writer of Hebrews worded it in Hebrews 12:11:

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.