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Punishment and Privilege

I wasn't sure I had actually heard her correctly. My 9-year old, Jacie, in a serious mood, said, 'I think I should have stricter consequences. Time-outs don't really bother me.' (Pardon me while I get up off the floor.)

I'm actually going to skip on over any parenting thoughts today, but let it be noted that I realize punishments have to change as children grow older. Oh, and Jacie's consequences will be changing shortly.

This comment initially put me on the defensive. It's one thing for other parents to judge my parenting style, but to have your kids call you out seemed downright bizarre. After checking to make sure she wasn't using my fave style of communication, sarcasm, I checked to see if she had a fever. She had to be ill, because what child is going to actually say this out loud? Sure, maybe you think it, but never say it!

Then I started pondering it more. See, Jacie is a great kid. But she gets punished...frequently. So I wondered if the punishment wasn't the issue. Could it be that Jacie was not seeing the larger view? Was it possible that the other side of the coin, the privileges, were not being enjoyed enough?

The more I see my kids in action, the more I see human nature being played out before my very eyes. See, I like to think in broad strokes about life and its' implications. So I see Heaven on one side, the ultimate in great destinations. On the other side is Hell, the...well...opposite. Heaven, and God who lives there, is enough to cause me to live for Him. But if I, or anyone, needed more reason, Hell provides that.

Jacie said we need a better punishment. Perhaps she doesn't appreciate the treat. Perhaps she doesn't really appreciate the potential of the punishment. I think Christians are the same way. When it comes to evangelism, we don't act as if it's that big a deal. Why? Because the punishment doesn't seem real? Because the reward is too far away?

We sing words like 'Death, where is thy sting?' and 'Hell, where is thy victory?' But it doesn't actually mean anything to us. Because we don't really believe the potential of Hell. We say we do. But did we ever actually believe we were heading there? Too many romantic comedies have been watched, giving us the idea that everything works out in the end. It is when our predicament is fully realized that God's love and His grace begin to have true meaning.

As we move forward, celebrating Good Friday and Easter, I would encourage anyone out there reading this, to consider the punishment and the privilege. I can assure you that Jesus thought it through. He decided the punishment was worth the privilege.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. ~ Philippians 2:5-11


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