The Weight of Guilt
2 CORINTHIANS 7: 8-16
(September 4)
Parenting is hard. Being consistent in disciplining is even harder. But it is necessary if we want to raise up healthy children who know boundaries, respect authority, and act appropriately.
Many times, we hurt them or to make them feel guilty for their behavior in our efforts to change their actions. It is unavoidable. In fact, it is sometimes necessary for them to feel that negative emotion in order to realize their behavior was wrong and make a change.
Ultimately, that is what we parents are looking for ... changes in the negative behavior and lessons learned.
After Paul's painful visit to the Corinthians, he wrote them a harsh letter of discipline. He regretted that he had to write this letter, but he was happy to see that the Corinthians did respond to his Godly corrections with sorrow. It was this sorrow that caused them to change their behavior. They repented of their wrong actions in the hopes of vindicating themselves. The weight of guilt can be quite heavy.
They realized that justice needed to be served on the man who had publicly opposed Paul, and they were alarmed at the fact they had done nothing about it. For them to realize this need for change brought great joy to Paul's heart.
Another thing that brought him joy was how happy Titus was with the welcome he had received in Corinth. He was proud of the way they treated Titus, and glad that all the good he had spoken to Titus about the Corinthians was actually visible to Titus when he visited.
Paul wraps up this portion of scripture by saying how proud he is of them and how much confidence he now has in them. That, to me, is a fine example of the way we should parent our children. Yes, we will have to discipline them. Yes, they will be offended and hurt at times. But when we see them taking the discipline to heart and trying to change their behavior, we should always state our pride in them and show them we are confident that they can do it. If not, we leave them walking around with the weight of guilt upon their shoulders, and that, my friends, is no fun at all.