When I was in 8th grade, many moons ago, I bought a tube top, and for those of you who may not know a tube top is a strapless shirt kept in place by elastic. It literally looks like a tube. Everyone was wearing them...My papa, who was extremely conservative and old fashioned and probably would have had me in a habit, said that I could not wear it. He said that it was immodest and asking for trouble. Well, Papa went to work; so, I wore the tube top. I was only going to wear it to my aunt's house, which was down the road from where we lived out in the country, kind of like a trial run of the tube top.
My cousin, JW, was visiting my aunt that summer. He was a pain and often harassed the heck out of me. He outweighed me by a good 50 lbs (hyperbole) and was probably some type of track star or something because he ran really fast. Well, JW manages to get the best of me and rolls my tube top( rolling it down exposing my breasts).
The fight was on. It was like the fight scene from the "Quiet Man"; it seemed like it lasted forever. I didn't care what was showing either because I was going to seriously injure JW. I had to chase him down all over my aunt's place, threw a few things at him, and did a lot of yelling. I landed a few punches and maybe a couple of kicks but definitely scratched the heck out of him (he wore the scars for a few days). My aunt came outside and grabbed both of us. I was literally spitting mad. She had to shake a little sense back into me before putting me back together and sending me home.
Papa got home a couple of hours later and of course got the full story from my aunt Jo. He got a hold of me and chewed me up one side and down another. He told me that my immodesty and rebellion caused the entire scene and that I got what I deserved. I was so mad at him. I remember thinking this is beyond not fair. Someone should beat the crap out of JW for his behavior. It was no laughing matter; I wanted my honor defended. JW was getting away with murder, ok maybe not murder but a mean prank that he found immensely funny. This was not fair.
Hebrews 12: 4-11
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”[a]
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
The tube top lesson did not make sense to me until a few years down the road when it was reinforced by a New Year's Eve dress that I wore once. It wrapped around the neck and basically had one zipper from mid back to hips that held it all together. Needless to say, a close guy friend, whom I love but is not as funny as he thinks he is, came up behind me and unzipped my dress.
The dress came completely open revealing far more than this chick ever intended a dance hall of people to see. I could not even get mad about it. If I had heeded the tube top lesson, then I would have made sure that my clothing was safe to wear to a festive occasion with a lot of people who were drinking. I felt the shame of my choice, and I never wore that dress again. The tube top incident came to mind, though.
Now, the bottom line is that my Papa was not worried about JW because JW was not his responsibility. My Papa was trying to teach me that I can only control my choices and my reactions. When I rebelled, it really hurt my Papa. He hated to discipline me, but he did it because he loved me and wanted me to be safe. I did respect him. I loved him and honored him.
He was huge in my life. I am thankful today for all of his discipline. I am thankful that when I was 16 and smarted off to him that he whipped my butt. I am thankful that he was brutally honest with me about my choices, and that he was sometimes harsh in his words but always spoke the truth.
I don't know many people who receive discipline well. I don't know many people who discipline their children or teach their children to own their own choices and reactions. We seem to be a society of what about the other guy--he provoked me, I have ADHD or some other such nonsense that keeps me from making good choices... God cares about you and your choices.
Let God or some other authority render the discipline for the other guy. It may not seem fair, but, honestly, no one ever said that life was fair. It's not. The bottom line, are your actions and choices aligned with God? If not, then you better be ready to take your discipline. Take care of your choices, and God will take care of others'.
Proverbs 12:1 says, "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid."
Stand Firm, Keep the Faith, and don't wear tube tops!!! BTW, I wrote a song about my Papa; you can find it on itunes by Vincent Wayne. It's called "My Granddad".
My cousin, JW, was visiting my aunt that summer. He was a pain and often harassed the heck out of me. He outweighed me by a good 50 lbs (hyperbole) and was probably some type of track star or something because he ran really fast. Well, JW manages to get the best of me and rolls my tube top( rolling it down exposing my breasts).
The fight was on. It was like the fight scene from the "Quiet Man"; it seemed like it lasted forever. I didn't care what was showing either because I was going to seriously injure JW. I had to chase him down all over my aunt's place, threw a few things at him, and did a lot of yelling. I landed a few punches and maybe a couple of kicks but definitely scratched the heck out of him (he wore the scars for a few days). My aunt came outside and grabbed both of us. I was literally spitting mad. She had to shake a little sense back into me before putting me back together and sending me home.
Papa got home a couple of hours later and of course got the full story from my aunt Jo. He got a hold of me and chewed me up one side and down another. He told me that my immodesty and rebellion caused the entire scene and that I got what I deserved. I was so mad at him. I remember thinking this is beyond not fair. Someone should beat the crap out of JW for his behavior. It was no laughing matter; I wanted my honor defended. JW was getting away with murder, ok maybe not murder but a mean prank that he found immensely funny. This was not fair.
Hebrews 12: 4-11
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”[a]
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
The tube top lesson did not make sense to me until a few years down the road when it was reinforced by a New Year's Eve dress that I wore once. It wrapped around the neck and basically had one zipper from mid back to hips that held it all together. Needless to say, a close guy friend, whom I love but is not as funny as he thinks he is, came up behind me and unzipped my dress.
The dress came completely open revealing far more than this chick ever intended a dance hall of people to see. I could not even get mad about it. If I had heeded the tube top lesson, then I would have made sure that my clothing was safe to wear to a festive occasion with a lot of people who were drinking. I felt the shame of my choice, and I never wore that dress again. The tube top incident came to mind, though.
Now, the bottom line is that my Papa was not worried about JW because JW was not his responsibility. My Papa was trying to teach me that I can only control my choices and my reactions. When I rebelled, it really hurt my Papa. He hated to discipline me, but he did it because he loved me and wanted me to be safe. I did respect him. I loved him and honored him.
He was huge in my life. I am thankful today for all of his discipline. I am thankful that when I was 16 and smarted off to him that he whipped my butt. I am thankful that he was brutally honest with me about my choices, and that he was sometimes harsh in his words but always spoke the truth.
I don't know many people who receive discipline well. I don't know many people who discipline their children or teach their children to own their own choices and reactions. We seem to be a society of what about the other guy--he provoked me, I have ADHD or some other such nonsense that keeps me from making good choices... God cares about you and your choices.
Let God or some other authority render the discipline for the other guy. It may not seem fair, but, honestly, no one ever said that life was fair. It's not. The bottom line, are your actions and choices aligned with God? If not, then you better be ready to take your discipline. Take care of your choices, and God will take care of others'.
Proverbs 12:1 says, "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid."
Stand Firm, Keep the Faith, and don't wear tube tops!!! BTW, I wrote a song about my Papa; you can find it on itunes by Vincent Wayne. It's called "My Granddad".
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