I have a 3 1/2 half year old daughter who has been putting my authority to the test this last month, or so. I get ignored and argued with over almost everything these days. When asking things of her I’ve approached her in numerous ways. I’ve tried pleading, threatening to take away toys, promising rewards, offering money, screaming out of frustration, time out in her room, and I’ve even attempted to sit and talk with her about what I’m wanting out of her.
Her stubbornness, and refusal to obey me, winds up getting her in trouble on a daily basis. As a new parent I am not always sure what the appropriate punishment for the crime should be. Not to mention it’s slim pickings. There’s time out, spankings or empty threats. At least that’s the three we wind up choosing from.
Not to wind up starting some “how to raise your child properly” forum I’m going to go ahead and get to point I came to make.
While weighing out different options for punishment, and for prevention of circumstances, I somehow found myself thinking about how we are not punished (on earth) by God. We will face him on judgement day and all of our wrongs will be exposed and accounted for.
My imagination took hold of these thoughts and had me feeling rather thankful that we, as parents, don’t have to do the same with our children. Our love (from the flesh heart) would erase all wrong doings the moment we were face to face with our offspring, no longer emotionally connected to the moments that once held so much importance.
How people would turn out, with no consequences to their actions, is another thought to be considered.
At the same time that I’m thankful we’re not waiting to judge our children for the accumulated wrongs they’ve committed I’m also grateful that God doesn’t punish us each time we sin. It’s almost comical, the way I imagine we’d be punished.
I see myself running across an ipod left behind on a park bench. I eye it and look around to see if I might spot the owner; I have good intentions you know. No luck, so I pick it up with the thought of seeking out who it belongs to. A voice inside my head is assuring me that I’m doing the right thing, as if in a silent argument. I slip it in my pocket as I walk off. “Really,” the voice in my head continues to argue, “I AM looking for the person who left it.” (Two verbal warnings from God have now been given) The sky starts to darken and I haven’t noticed anyone who appeared to have been searching for a lost ipod. Well, at least I tried. If I didn’t take it then someone else would have picked it up, and they probably would have grabbed it for themselves, not to give it back. I start making a mental playlist for my new toy as I walk down the sidewalk heading home. The next thing I know I’m on the ground eating the concrete. What just happened?!
Yeah, I think I’ll pass on being popped by God, thanks anyway!
I’m glad for that too….man would my head hurt.
You know what I think would be worse than being “popped”by God? The old parental lecture like Mike used to give our girls. I would not like to sit and listen to Him explaining my shortcomings. I would surely melt into the floor!
too funny! Yeah, I don’t want to be popped by God, either and I am glad we don’t have to be fearful of that. On the serious side I do find so many parallels between my relationship with God and my kids with me. On the frusterating side, we too end up picking between the three aformentioned punishments, none of which seem to work with Braedon.