Discipline

As a mother, its hard to imagine that your child is anything but precious...
loving,
kind,
sweet,
adorable,
cute,
good and,
just plain PERFECT!

and then you start to discover this precious, loving, kind, sweet, adorable, cute, good, PERFECT angel has developed into a mean,
spiteful,
selfish,
intolerant,
disobedient,
ornery, little SINNER!

But, even through it all.....

you still love them,

and would do anything for them.

Even when they give you this face and say "No!", pinch, pull your hair, hit your face or attempt to bite you....

you still love them.

because they are yours and they know no better...

that's why its our job (entrusted by God) to lovingly show them how they are sinning and lead them in repentance and forgiveness. 

This truly is one of the GREATEST ways God will reveal himself to our children.

In the depths of their darkest, most defiant of days....there is "light" at the end of the tunnel in knowing that this is not only for our "good" and sanctification, but it helps to paint the picture for our children that the sin in their heart that causes them to disobey is the very thing that Christ desires them to NOT live by, but rather seek to live in bringing Him glory in repentance and a saving knowledge of Him.

I am learning from some pretty amazing books on how to come head to head with these "battles".

Here are just a few resources that have helped me in my effort to point Mady to Christ in our discipline:

The Holy Bible by God
        (The Book of Proverbs) also by God
"Don't Make Me Count to Three!" by Ginger Plowman
"Shepherding a Child's Heart", by Tedd Tripp
"Wise Words for Mom's", by Ginger Plowman

These books have helped me understand that it is not the disobedient behavior that I seek to correct, but rather the deeper seeded problem of sin in Mady's heart (that causes her disobedient behavior) that I should desire to change.

Isn't that what God expects of us too? Not that we just maintain a "good behavior", saying the right Christian things and reading the right books  ...but rather, how is our heart. Is our heart "sold out" for our own ends, or for the desires of the Lord? Why should we expect any different in loving and raising our children. Does not God grant the same salvation to a child as to an adult. Did God not die for the old man and the young child? Yes, yes and YES!

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

Luke 6:45

"Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him."

Proverbs 22:15

In knowing this to be true in my life, I am desiring to help Mady understand it as well. It is going to be a LONG ROAD. With many battles won and lost and bearing in mind that it is for our good. I am not after good behavior for good behavior's sake. Or even pride in recognition of her behavior as a reflection of our dilegence as her parents but rather....

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23

Her heart is at war within her. Sin wages an ugly war and its end game is having her heart under its control, which then leads to an array of devastating outcomes that can destroy her life.  (Mark 7:21-22)

We love her too much to let her stay this way, and in this state....

so we discipline in love and knowing that God receives the Glory and hopefully, prayerfully, this

mean,spiteful,
selfish,
intolerant,
disobedient,
ornery, little SINNER....will soon transform back into our....

precious,

loving,

kind,

sweet,

adorable,

cute,

good and,

just plain PERFECT,

(okay....

"perfect" is a strong word)

how about, redeemed, ransomed, sanctified

Little Girl.