When the Rod is Right and Words are Wrong

While I remember times when physical punishments went too far, I also remember this about them: They were over quickly and cleared the air, while other forms of discipline dragged on and created a cloud of negativity that overshadowed family activities for depressingly long lengths of time.

"I would rather (said he) have the rod to be the general terrour to all, to make them learn, than tell a child, if you do thus, or thus, you will be more esteemed than your brothers or sisters. The rod produces an effect which terminates in itself. A child is afraid of being whipped, and gets his task, and there's an end on't; whereas, by exciting emulation and comparisons of superiority, you lay the foundation of lasting mischief; you make brothers and sisters hate each other.” ― James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson

When Shutting Up is a Good Idea

I have heard people angrily say, "When I see God, I'm going to ask Him why ...(insert grievance here)"

Nope. Not going to happen.

When we see God, we are going to shut up. No one will demand that God answer their questions. What God wants us to hear, we will hear.

"the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him." Hab 2:20

"...that every mouth may be stopped" Rom 3:19

Gold Shackles

I was reading today about a mining corporation in La Rinconada, Peru that pays its employees this way:

"...they work for 30 days without payment. On the 31st day they are allowed to take with them as much ore as they can carry on their shoulders.Whether the ore contains any gold or not is a matter of luck."

This might be called payment, but it sounds like slavery to me. "Paying" this way is like allowing someone to eat table scraps after they have worked all day serving others.

Debt and greed bring men into all kinds of desperate circumstances. Once in, it is hard to escape. The best way out is to never get in. But once in, do all that possible to get out, and for the impossible, cry out to God for help.

A Verse for Wet Blankets

Philippians 4:6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God

Self-Service Cemeteries...

"I am my heart's undertaker. 
Daily I go and retrieve its tattered remains, 
place them delicately into its little coffin, 
and bury it in the depths of my memory, 
only to have to do it all again tomorrow." Emilie Autumn

The problem with that kind of burial is that while some bury to forget, others bury things like one buries treasures or bones, things to be dug up again, lusted over, gnawed on, buried again, things that, with each cycle, become more corrupted, more corrupting or less satisfying.

One of the benefits of genuine Christianity is that such things can be discarded, buried, and remembered no more, being replaced by things that are better for the current state of our mental health and future happiness.

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Romans 6:4

When Church Listen Skills Need Improvement...

Also: When you realize you just sang the last words of the chorus, but you don't remember what verse you just sang, so you wait to see what everybody else is going to do,

Thorny Shortcuts

Proverbs 15:19 The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.

A hedge of thorns in a person's way makes for hard, slow, and painful progress. It seems odd that sloth should create such a thing since slothful people are looking for just the opposite kind of experience in life. 

Apparently, the easier path the path is today, the harder it becomes down the road.

The road the righteous travel might seem to be the long way around, but it avoids the hedges. 

For an easier and less painful journey through life, navigate the way of righteousness with a bit of diligence and patience. It turns out that it is the most pleasant path after all.