Proverbs 10:17
We are all leaders. Some of us lead many
people, some just a few, but we are all leading. Anyone who is a parent, or who
was parented knows this. Kids do what their parents do, good or bad. The first
time your kid swears it hits you: they learned that from listening to me. Their
facial expressions, the way they eat and talk, they learn it from you, if you
are around.
Being a good leader requires doing the right
thing, learning from mistakes and doing it consistently. This part of learning
from mistakes falls under the heading of discipline. We all know kids who were
disciplined, but they didn’t change their behavior. They repeat the same
mistakes over and over again. Perhaps we are that kid. Perhaps we are that
adult! Discipline should be measured so that the pain fits the crime, both in
content and in severity. If they didn’t clean their room, cleaning should be
the discipline. All other fun activities are taken away until the cleaning gets
done, and done to standard.
When we learn from discipline we are
choosing life. The quality of life is determined by our choices. And the life
that matters is not the physical beating of our hearts and brain waves, but a
connection to the eternal God. This life lasts beyond physical death. In fact,
it is the only thing that matters.
When we ignore discipline’s lessons, we
choose to separate ourselves from God and from others.
What choice are you making when discipline
comes?