O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!
When
you are angry, it is easier for you to overdiscipline. Your anger may be perceived
by your child as a personal attack. If he views your discipline as such, he
will likely suspect that your motive for the discipline is vindictive rather
than corrective. If he concludes that this is your motive (thus violating 1
Corinthians 4:5), he will find it difficult not to get angry. The emphasis of your
thinking and of your subsequent discipline should be on what the child has done
by sinning against God, not on how his action has caused you some personal
discomfort, trouble, or embarrassment.
Ephesians 4:26-27
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the
sun go down in your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.
James 1:19-20
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every
person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does
not produce the righteousness of God.
If you
do not find yourself more upset because your child has sinned against you than
you are because he has sinned against God, you must quickly and prayerfully get
your heart in such a state that personal desires are temporarily set aside. You
must be willing to lay aside your personal rights and forgive your child’s
offense against you so that you may focus on fulfilling your parental
obligations to him. Only then can you discipline your child with the assurance
that your passion is not unholy anger.
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