An Undisciplined Child is Like a Filthy Commode

Isaiah 3:11-13 "…11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, For what he deserves will be done to him. 12 O My people! Their oppressors are children, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray And confuse the direction of your paths. 13 The LORD arises to contend, And stands to judge the people.…"

Think about it, do we not see the children bossing their parents, ruling the household in families these days? I see it a lot where I live.

Sometimes I can hardly stand watching the parents who allow their children to rule the household, dictating terms and executing revenge through tantrums when the parents won't submit to the child immediately.

Just the other day while shopping in a public place, I heard a rebellious toddler screaming as loud as he possibly could to bring the parent to their knees. The response of the parent was to ignore it hoping it would go away on its own. Finally the parent got tired of the tirade and gave the little monster what he wanted, re-enforcing that his tantrum worked and would continue.

This same child will be punching out his parent when he is taller than she. He will use intimidation and manipulation to keep the parent under his control. This woman is looking at a very hellish teen years, but even worse than that a hellish elderly stint when she can no longer give the child everything he wants, he will be discarding and even abusing his mother because she is inconvenient to him. Just saying!!!

Proverbs 19:26-27 "26 He who assaults his father and drives his mother away Is a shameful and disgraceful son. 27 Cease listening, my son, to discipline, And you will stray from the words of knowledge.…"

The problem I see in this culture is the resistance of the parents to do the necessary discipline God's way. What is God's way?

Proverbs 13:24
"Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him."

A parent who does not discipline properly only loves themselves. It is unpleasant to many parents to have to discipline a child. I didn't think of it that way, because I saw it as nothing more than any other task in the household. You have to clean the bathroom, cook the food and spank the child, that's just life, why have any bad feelings about it, unless one has been brainwashed that it is mean to spank.

Hebrews 12:11
"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

If we let the bathroom commode become filthy over the course of several years, it may not be able to be clean ever again no matter how much scrubbing one does. That commode would not only be filthy but smelly too. It is an unpleasant job, but necessary, we don't "feel" anything about it, we just do it to maintain the standard of the household.

The same is true with the child, if a parent neglects the disciplining of the child long enough, soon that child will be so arrogant and rebellious that nothing will work with him anymore.

After this neglect has occurred over many years, then the child will have to be trained by God, the harsher way, through many life failures. In my estimation it is better to do it God's way and actually be able to enjoy the teen years with your children.

There is no guarantee that a child will become godly because we obeyed God, but there is a better chance and our conscience is free from regret when we know we did it God's way.