RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

Love and discipline are often described as archrivals. In reality, they are best friends. When both abide in the same house, they make champions out of our children. The author of Hebrews explained to early Christians, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:5, 6 NASB).
The verses preceding that exhortation speak of a race in which God longs for His children to run as champions. The book of Hebrews compares the Christian life to an endurance race in which we experience tribulations. Those difficulties are God’s way of bringing discipline into our everyday experience. And every great athlete understands that it takes discipline to be a champion.
These verses contain some great truths about discipline. Most people think of discipline as a negative characteristic. Many think that it’s punishment for something done wrong. However, discipline is the positive work of God in our lives to make us more like Jesus, and love must be the cornerstone for all discipline.
When I was in high school, a great track coach worked with us. Coach “Boots” Garland trained us, and our junior varsity team went from being mediocre to winning the district championship. The difference before Coach Garland and after his work with us rested in his training. He applied a great amount of discipline to his method of coaching.
If you wanted to run for him, then you practiced by his rules. He didn’t make us train his way because he was on an ego trip. He knew what it took to make us champions. He did it because he cared about us and wanted us to be winners.
We must learn to apply those truths to our family relationships. Rules must be established in every home, and we must help our children to understand and live by them. When rules are violated, we don’t revert to abusive speech and discipline, but apply discipline in a spirit of love.
My wife and I struggled with this concept for a long time. She was great in displaying love for our children when they failed, and I was strong at applying discipline. However, it was when we began to understand that our children needed both of what we had to offer that we saw them take the greatest strides in their growth.
By applying both love and discipline, we agreed that we would discuss and pray with them about their failure to keep our rules. That wasn’t always easy, but it was invariably the right thing to do. The goal of our discipline wasn’t punishment, but rather a change in behavior.
Discipline in anger will only enrage and repel our children. However, love without discipline will unleash a host of habits that have the potential to destroy them. Both discipline without love and love without discipline will produce negative results. Yet, when we apply both love and discipline, it unleashes the possibility of seeing our children develop into true champions in life.
When we look to God and see him as our Father, we see how He works within us through a kind of discipline, which is rooted in love. He uses this loving discipline to conform us into the image of His Son, Jesus. It’s the secret to raising champions for Christ.