Proverbs 29:11
What does it say?
"The rod of correction imparts wisdom,
but a child left to himself disgraces his mother."
What does it mean?
The rod of correction imparts wisdom - so does that mean I can beat you with a stick to make you smarter? Well, not exactly. There's an important difference between correction and abuse. Correction tells you what you did wrong and how to fix it.
Is a rod always a stick? Well, probably not, but sometimes a strong word may feel like we just got hit by a stick.
And how does a stick make you wiser? For some people getting hit with a stick will just leave a welt, a red mark. How is that supposed to help you make better decisions? More than a red mark on your skin, the purpose is to make a mark on your memory so you do the right thing the next time.
but a child left to himself disgraces his mother. A child left to himself means somebody who doesn't have parents or authority to make rules. Do you know any of your friends that don't have rules in their house? What happens? Do you think you would really like to live that way? What would happen?
Why do you think the verse talks about disgracing your mother not, say, your father, sister, or cousin? Your mother is always the one that says, "Oh no, I taught you better than that." They're the people who tell us how to behave and who correct us.
How does it apply to me?
Some food for thought...
How do I react when somebody tries to correct me?
How does it make me feel? And is that ok?
Is it possible that my parents are right even when I believe I'm right?
What happens when someone treats me badly and it's not correction, just anger? How can I deal with that and communicate my frustrations?
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