"Do you find yourself threatening, repeating your instructions, or raising your voice in an attempt to get your children to obey? Are you discouraged because it seems you just can't reach the heart of your child? Through personal experience and the practical application of Scripture, Ginger Plowman encourages and equips moms to reach past the outward behavior of their children and dive deeply into the issues of the heart. Ginger's candid approach will help moms move beyond the frustrations of not knowing how to handle issues of disobedience and into a confident and well-balanced approach to raising their children."
Setting the Standard for Obedience
We should expect instant obedience from our children. Teach them that God wants them to obey "all the way, right away, and with a happy heart."
(I address that obedience should be "all the way" yesterday. Scroll down if you missed it.)
Obedience Should Be Right Away.
Any time my pastor preaches on obedience, he always ends with the classic injunction, "Delayed obedience is disobedience." A child should be trained to respond promptly the first time the parents give a command. The parent should not have to yell, threaten, or repeat instructions in order to achieve obedience. The command that should be obeyed is to be spoken in a normal tone of voice and only one time. The consequences of delayed obedience are seen in the life of Jonah. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh. In the end Jonah did go. But the consequences of his delayed obedience put his life and the life of many others in great spiritual and physical danger. Instant obedience should be the standard, and children should be expected to abide by that standard.
(Ginger Plowman, taken from Chapter 11)
Tonya
1 comment:
We shouldn't have to repeat instructions - delayed obedience is disobedience - I needed to be reminded of those things. As usual, thanks for the encouragement.
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