Discipline is both positive and negative. Another devotional listed the five do’s of discipline. This week presents the five don’ts of discipline.
1. Don’t compare. Every child needs acceptance for who he is. Comparing children often crushes the spirit. Encourage each child to be his best self.
2. Don’t overprotect. The ultimate result of protecting your children from the results of their folly is to fill the world with fools. Many parents close their eyes to the faults of their children and take their side against all authorities. If parents fail to see a child’s faults, it is doubtful that the child will see them. Try to see your child as others see him....
I once talked with a man who was convinced that Christianity was a failure. His conclusion was based on the fact that while our cities are full of churches and preachers, our world is getting worse and worse.
If you think about this criticism, you must agree that there is much religion in America that has little effect on the daily lives of people. While the number of church members may grow each year, so does lawlessness and immorality. But does this mean that Christianity is a failure? No. At the close of World War I a soap manufacturer, walking down the street with his pastor, was bemoaning the “failure” of Christianity. He said to his pastor, “After 19 centuries of preaching and teaching Christ, there is still so much evil in the world. I don’t see how you can go on preaching the Gospel.”
“I don’t see how you can go on manufacturing soap,” retorted the pastor. “Look at the little urchin playing in the gutter. Neck and ears filthy. There’s still so much dirt in the world. Soap is such a failure.”
“But,” countered the soap manufacturer, “If people will just apply the soap, they’ll be clean.”
“Yes,” concluded the pastor, “and if men will but apply Christ to their daily living, they will also be clean.”
The evil of today’s world is not due to Christianity’s failure, but to our failure to apply our Christianity. As writer G.K. Chesterton said, "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and not tried."
Attend church Sunday, listen to God’s word, then apply it to your daily life and you and the world will both be better because of it.