GETTING CANED!!

 

One of the benefits of working in Teens Ministry is that I get to be at forums where parenting is discussed, I'm not a parent yet, I'm even yet to marry the amazing and beautiful girl who I'm dating as well... but I get to be a parent to the Teens I minister to, and start learning how to be a father to the kids I'll get in future. 

Not the point really, but I got to attend one such forum recently and we were discussing how parenting was a while ago. It was interesting to hear how people grew up and how parents raised them. 

I couldn't help but think of my own parents and how they raised me. You see, my mother was the final say in our house, it was her way or face her beating. It is quite many occasions that I had to face the cane. And she used the nearest thing that she could get her hands on... a leather belt, mwiko, a rubber slippers, name it. 

I remember one of those times... not very sure if it was a mwiko or slippers, but it was one of them. And she kept quarreling me between the caning... "Wewe," THWACK! "Who..." THWACK "... told..." THWACK! "... you..." THWACK! "...that..." THWACK! "... you..." THWACK! "...could..." THWACK! "...watch..." THWACK! "...TV..." THWACK! "... na..." THWACK! "... hujamaliza..." THWACK! "... homework!?!?"

Other times there was no break between those strokes... it felt like a rain of canes, like a hurricane coming down on me, and at the end of it, it was pain from head to toe. Or when it was slow and methodical and I was told to lie down on my stomach and she chose the toughest leather belt from my dad's wardrobe and I knew exactly what was coming my way. (Dad later hid that belt without mum's knowledge). 

It was not that dad was not into disciplining us... oh no! If dad called you and you knew it was a discipline case, you stated crying even before he spoke. He had this way of pinching the abdomen region and the pain would just flow from the head to the tip of your toes... like real pain, uncontrollable pain running through your body, tears would just flow. I think I dreaded him more than mum, his was just too predictable.

And this was not just with my parents, I hear my grandmother was no joke either... except for Sundays. Sunday was the only day a beating never came. If you happened to mess up on a Sunday, Cucu would take her cane and reign blows on a huge rock that was near the home. But dare you mess up during the week... it was a beating of the century, combining the beating you were meant to receive on Sunday as well. 

That's parenting... and I'd bet you had your experiences as well. We hated them, I know I did, and it sometimes felt as though our parents were being unfair, that they went too much with the cane and there was no need to be that hard on us... I mean, was it really necessary? All that went through my mind untilI understood why it had to be that way. 

There were rules, there were restrictions, there were regulations... and every time I chose not to obey those limits, there were consequences, the beating and punishment had to come. 

Does that mean they did not love me and that they enjoyed seeing me in pain and crying?? Not at all, they did it out of love. And many years down the line, I do appreciate that they punished me when I disobeyed, I appreciate that I grew up in a disciplined and controlled environment... they did it out of love. I credit a lot of who I am today to the fact that mum and dad disciplined me in the way they know how.

Just thinking about all these experiences reminded me of how our Heavenly Father is. He loves us much more than even our parents love us, He loves us so much that He made the ultimate sacrifice of giving up His life on the cross for us. He gave us His word; the Bible. This is the rule book He expects us to live by

Now, just like my mum and dad would discipline me out of love, then what stops God? In our life of sin, God will judge us, we shall experience His wrath if we continue to live our life in sin. If we turn away from the truth, if we choose not to live by His word and instruction, what stops Him from punishing us? But unlike mum and dad, God's cane is much more severe. We are looking at a time of pain and suffering, a time when there will be so much pain that you will wish to die but it will  not come (Rev 9:6). It will be a life in hell... literally. 

But does that mean He does not love us??? Quite the contrary.. He loves us so much!! I mean, he died for you, it was supposed to be you and I hung on that cross, but He took that on my behalf, on your behalf... that we do not have to go through it because He did it for us. Is there any love greater than that?

So, yes... there will be punishment, but He is giving us a chance to turn back to Him, a second chance. Take it and experience His love.