Train the child...

My mother was the main disciplinarian in our home... she was not half-hearted about this role!

I was a shy but defiant child with a sense of adventure. The thrill of the forbidden activity far outweighed the fear of punishment, and yet I was a coward when it came... I think the anticipation of the punishment was the worst part! I'm not sure if Mum knew this and planned accordingly, or if she just had so many tasks to do that she made you wait for it... Either way, there was certainly a lesson in the waiting! The waiting invoked fear, remorse, feigned bravery and finally, an acceptance of my fate with lots and lots of tears that did not stay the punishment. And true to form, I forgot the pain and lived to face another offense and its consequences.

Gradually, my decisions and attitude shifted from fear of punishment to not wanting to disappoint my parents; not wanting to harm our loving relationship or destroy their trust in me.

I think the same can be said for our attitude toward sin; our posture towards our relationship with God. As children of God, we have rules to follow; commandments to guide us in loving God and neighbor. At some point in our spiritual growth, there's a shift from head to heart; from seeing God as judge, as punisher, to seeing Him as Loving Father who wants the best for His children; from fear to awe and reverence and love... Then we choose to refrain from certain behaviors because we fear the harm to our relationship with God; we do not want to disappoint or offend Him; we want to love God as He truly deserves and we want our lives to attest to this love.

My parents chose to discipline their children because they love us- they expected us to take responsibility for our actions. In so doing, they allowed us to be more receptive to God's will; to grow into and reflect God's love; they allowed us to shine! They taught by example- virtues of compassion, obedience, honesty, reliability, kindness, integrity, hard work- they valued these, and knew they would be valuable to us on our faith journey...Thank you, Mum and Dad!