December 9
PROVERBS 22
13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be killed in the streets!”
14 The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit;
he with whom the LORD is angry will fall into it.
15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
– Proverbs 22:13-16
PROVERBS 22 THE ROD OF DISCIPLINE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When children are instructed and guided in righteousness
They will not give in to their natural selfish tendencies
Correcting and showing a child the way to go
Is the highest form of love that parents can show
When a person is raised in loving discipline
He will be secure and overcome the temptation to sin
When children are abused, misguided and neglected
It results in insecurities and various mental challenges.
Many children nowadays are left misguided and uncorrected. Too many parents are so absorbed in their jobs that their kids are either neglected on their own at a very young age or dropped off at daycare places that they haven’t even cared to investigate about. The early stages of development of a human being lies in those first years of life. They are formative. If the child isn’t instructed in the right way to go, they will definitely have issues later on in their lives. That is why the root of many mental and emotional problems of a person lies in the attachment age years. The attachment theory argues that a strong emotional and physical bond to one primary caregiver in our first years of life is critical to our development. If that primary caregiver does not model or teach the right life skills to the child, they won’t be able to learn how to navigate a world full of challenges and trials.
REFLECTION
• Why do you think the “rod of discipline” is frowned upon by the world system?
