More Than Spoiling the Child

(Proverbs 13:24 KJV)  He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

Hatred is like love in that it is a choice not a reaction.  If you look at the description of love in the New Testament you find a list of behaviors such as patience and kindness that call for repeated choices.  Hatred is the same.  Here it seems strange that parents would choose to hate their children but that is what is happening when they reject the duty of discipline.

The only people I can think of that I might hate are a few that are evil and demonstrate it clearly.  The list would be very short and none would be people I actually rub elbows with.  When I think of hate I think of things like liver, standing in line, talking on the phone.  I don’t try to bring evil on those things, I avoid them.  When I can’t avoid them I endure.  Except for liver.  I draw a line there.

So?  Think of ways in which parents avoid their children and thus avoid the necessity of discipline.  I heard a teacher once happy about the fact that her child was taken care of by others from 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.  She got a round of applause from the other teachers in the room.  From me she only got sympathy.  God weeps with me.