Saturday, June 03, 2006

Millstones, and the Crushing of the Spirit....

i talked awhile back in this post about spanking vs. not spanking... more specifically, when to spank and when to not spank, and the difficulty in determining appropriateness.... not from the perspective of a spanker (not a parent, never spanked anyone in my life)... but from the perspective as an adult child who was not spanked, and my reflections back on it.... and i believe God is preparing me for the possibility of motherhood... cuz i think it will happen one day!

anyways, it's definately a controversial topic.

my attention has been brought to an article -here- about 'millstones'.... it tells a bit of the story about a woman who, after having said that if she were ever to spank, she would not be able to stop, was became convinced that she *had* to spank.... and sure enough, she couldn't stop, and killed her little boy.

*whoa*....

the article then goes on to speak of assessing our personal self-control, reasoning etc, before we decide to spank/not spank. each of us has to determine in our own heart, before God, what our abilities are, what our weaknesses are, and act accordingly. that applies to everything, of course, not just spanking... but how often do we lose control of our anger and act out accordingly?

if i ever have kids, i don't want to risk that...

so what do i say? i don't know.... each of us will answer to God about what we do or don't do, so we'd best consider what is wise.... like i said before, i'm not completely anti-spanking... i just think it's use needs to be extremely judicious, careful, never to hurt, considering the childs heart response....

how does God correct us? does He set out to destroy our will? crush our spirit? manipulate us to do things his way? NO - He woos us to Him, loves us, and shows us His heart for things.... and we come to a place of repentance.

*whoa*... i can't write anymore on this right now... i am just feeling so overwhelmed at how God's ways are so far above our own.... His goodness and love.... and our sinful and wicked hearts.... God have mercy on us....
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2 comments:

  1. Jenny7:47 p.m.

    I don't spank and just could never bring myself to. My husband has on a few occasions spanked. There are alternatives to spankings. Our boys aren't spoiled brats and no the consequences of their actions. I don't like when I say I'm against spanking and someone will pipe up and say "well the bible says it's okay!" and everyone kind of gives me the look like I'm the one who's doing something wrong!!

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  2. Lynnie Ha12:45 a.m.

    maybe some good responses would be,

    'well, actually, the bible says to restore one caught in sin - gently...."

    "actually, did you know that the shepherds rod wasn't used to beat the sheep, but the wolves that came to eat the sheep?"

    "well, actually, did you know that the shepherds used the rod to gently guide the sheep, to startle them away from danger, for counting, and for inspecting? that it wasn't used to harm the sheep?"

    hmm.....

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THIS BLOG IS IN NEED OF AN OVERHAUL. there are posts from years back i would not be able to post in good conscience now. i plan to overhaul the blog, and either delete or add a disclaimer to those posts. but that is gonna take time....

The Radical Summons: "Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come." Hebrews 13:13.

"The Spirit never loosens where the Word binds; the Spirit never justifies where the Word condemns; the Spirit never approves where the Word disapproves; the Spirit never blesses where the Word curses." —Thomas Brooks

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