Christian Counseling - Loving Discipline

The book of Hebrews states that God disciplines us because He loves us. For many of us, loving discipline is a foreign concept. Perhaps because we were not raised with it. If our parents disciplined out of anger, we may have grown up thinking of discipline and correction as negative. This can impact us as parents. We may either repeat the pattern of our parents and discipline selfishly or angrily, or, in an effort to move away from the example of our parents, we may become too lenient or indulgent.

We are not to shy away from disciplining our children. However, we must ask, is the correction that I am giving for their benefit or mine? Is the rule that I am setting for their benefit or mine? Finally, what will likely happen if I do not address this issue? God disciplines those He loves not for His benefit, but for ours. His correction of us is always appropriate for the issue, and He corrects us to protect us from further harm and to help us to move away from sinful actions.