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I'm sure it won't be popular, but that is one of
the most wonderful stories I've ever heard. What a great example of our Father's
love for us in Christ. Yes, Jesus is with you (us). What a difference that
makes! That, it seems to me, is the point of disparity between our understanding
-- the way it works itself out in our lives and the lives of our children
-- and that of those who want to keep us under the law.
Bill
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 10:53
PM
Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] More wisdom from
Dallas Willard
For the collection: I remember very little
physical discipline, but I did have some; mostly symbolic. They are not
the incidents that stand out in my mind, though. This is one of the ones that
do:
When I was about six my sister and I (she's about
six years older than me and was always virtuous) went to the store for milk or
bread or something, and I furtively stole a bubble gum. On the way home, I was
swinging my arms and my sister saw something in my closed hand, and asked what
it was. It was the gum, of course, and she told me how wicked that was and
what a lot of trouble I would be in. When we got home she told my mother. I
didn't know quite what to expect; I'd never done anything that bad before. But
my mom didn't get angry. She didn't punish, shame, or lecture me. She
didn't tell me what a bad thing I had done. She knelt down and looked me in
the eye and put a hand on my shoulder and said, "That was stealing. [No
need to say it was bad; I gathered that.] Go back to the store and tell the
man, and apologize and give it back. Jesus is with you. [That was a favourite
line of hers, Jesus is with you.]" So I did. And that was the end of it. No
more stealing, ever.
The other memorable incidents are like that
too. That was the style in which important lessons of behaviour were
taught in our home.
Debbie
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 12:36
AM
Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] More wisdom
from Dallas Willard
Odd but my father never hit me. My mom only hit
me on 2 occasions and it was one slap on the shoulder out of sheer
frustration: once when I fired a nanny at age 5 and once at age 9? when I
shoved my little brother into the toilet. Mostly, they were indulgent or
negligent (easy with servants hanging around!). But love was not an issue
and neither was obedience or discipline. We just were: loved, obedient
and disciplined. I never got in trouble
at school or with the law. Neither did my 3 brothers. My little brother just
told me drugs were rampant in our high school and I said I was never offered
any and neither were you. He said they just knew better.
So now we have 2 personal anecdotes of child
rearing. For what it's worth, psych and social studies say physically
punishing a child does more harm than good.
Love,
Caroline
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 10:19
AM
Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] More wisdom
from Dallas Willard
Debbie Sawczak wrote:
We are all in danger of mistaking
something else for God and loving it instead; you could say that this is
the definition of the fallen human condition. It is not only liberals
(none of whom are on TT anyway, so I hope the below wasn't aimed at
anybody) who are open to this. It often seems to me that
many "conservatives" identify Christ with their Correct Theology:
they ascribe salvation to their theology rather than to our
God, exalt it, and are in love with it. It is immutable,
because it is God. I guess I should be using the first person; I have
been in this situation myself and thought that what I loved was
God.
Rather than practise suspicion
or self-righteousness, then, let's encourage one
another. One test of whether we love God, after all, according
to the Apostle John, is whether we love our brother and sister. A
little phileo thrown in wouldn't hurt either. This of course sounds like
mush to some people.
Debbie ===============================================================
I
can only speak for myself,Debbie, and I speak as a conservative.
Love is sometimes overlooking the faults of others, but just as often, it
is attempting to correct the faults of others. When I needed
correcting as a child, my father blistered my butt. He did it
because he loved me. I would have been a monster if he had not done
so. My dad also spent time with me, taught me to hunt and fish and
do other important stuff.
My heavenly Father is the same way.
You do not have to read far in the Bible to be aware of this. Why
you would expect me to be different is a mystery to me. With
examples like that, I want to be like that. Neither of my examples
were compromisers. I will not be one either. If a brother or
sister needs correcting, I will try to correct them. If they deserve
praise, I will praise them. Please do not expect me to agree with
that which I find false in order to be part of the community. That
is not the way I am built.
I will love you, and I will pray for you,
but I may never agree with you.
Terry
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