An Old Fashioned Trip To The Woodshed!

Deuteronomy 8:5
Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.

We did not have a woodshed, we lived in Florida! But I have had the painful experience that my northern counterparts have experienced in a trip to the old fashioned woodshed.

The reason we have stories of these educational trips to a woodshed is explained: The Father would take junior away from the house (a place of love) out back to the woodshed so Mother would not hear or see the carnage (love) that would follow in the teaching moments to come.

I have had the application of wide leather on exposed flesh. I have termed this as "Massage Therapy" Do you get it? If the big muscle on the backside of said human is massaged sufficiently the therapy will be most beneficial for both parties involved.

My Father is loving and was concerned that I was raised properly. I think he earned a Doctorate in Massage Therapy. He loved me enough to apply correction in my daily life. I hated those sessions and for a long time had a hard time understanding why he said things like; "This will hurt me a lot more than it will hurt you!" I always thought he was lying to me. I had my own children and found out how true he had been with me.

I carried on the tradition of the "woodshed" and now that my children are grown up they are practicing their own versions of this time honored practice.

Why?.... Because of love and relationship!

Consider in thine heart.

God instructs his children to ponder the reasons he must chastise his children. God always has in mind our perfection. He desires to instruct us as we stumble through life. Our outcome is uppermost important in His mind. He gave us a free will that causes us to stray. He simply corrects us to get us to decide to do what He wants us to do. Deep down inside our hearts we know that when correction is properly applaied it demonstrates the deep love that only a loving Father can give.

So the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.

As the perfect Father, the Lord thy God only corrects those whom He begot. Bottom line is that if we are His Children (by salvation in Jesus Christ) he has the right and responsibility to bring us the correction we need and deserve when we go amiss.

When I was a kid, we used to hide under a window of a neighbor's house. The father would line up all his children in the hallway and one by one he would hold correction times (usually around report card time). He would wail into them with his belt. I was amazed that his children could even walk after a session. I was thankful that this man was not my father.

God is my heavenly Father and His corrections are tough but never out of line with the offense. His corrections are a source of blessings for me, I do want to be all that God wants me to be.

have you taken An Old Fashioned Trip To The Woodshed Of God's Love?