Bold & Beautiful 2 of 3
When one of my sisters was a little girl in 1st grade, our parents gave her a piggy bank for her birthday. Unfortunately, they did not put any money in it. So, one night, this sister got into Mama’s purse and got some change to put in her bank. Then, she went into Mom and Dad’s room and woke them up to show them that she had money in her bank. She shook the bank for them and was so happy to hear the cling cling clang of change in her brand new penny bank! Mom and Dad got out of bed, and Dad got the Bible off of the shelf and beat her bottom saying, “Thou shalt not steal.” Poor sister remembers to this day the pain and disappointment of that moment. All she wanted was to hear the cling cling clang of change in her piggy bank! But instead, all she got was a memory that she was a thief. As a matter of fact, that event, as well as many others, traumatized her heart. Dad frequently lost his temper and disciplined her with an iron fist instead of a soft glove. Until a few years ago, this sister hated children, and thought anyone who ever had children was just plain stupid, until she saw a parent correctly discipline his child with love. At her friend’s house, she watched a dad spank his daughter because she had chosen not to obey him. This is what happened: he took her into another room and spanked her bottom. She yelled and screamed and hurt from the discipline. Then, he brought her into the front room, placed her into his lap and hugged her and told her he loved her, and that it was important she learn to obey her parents. This act of proper discipline, tempered with love, changed my sister’s heart forever regarding children. God healed her heart, because she saw that a child could be disciplined yet also loved. Oh, the pain our dad caused us because he never received discipline with love. All he knew was how to discipline out of anger and legalism, because that is all he ever received as a child. Though sister experienced years of a broken heart, she now faces life with an acknowledgment that when you belong to God, you can be healed if you let Him have your heart. Her wounded heart has been, and will continue to be, healed all the days she lives simply because she bravely loves God and HE IS making her BOLD and BEAUTIFUL!
Do you know how much God loves you? Sometimes others do not treat us kindly. More than likely they were not treated kindly. I believe there is a reason kindness is listed AFTER the fruit of patience in the line of of the fruit of the spirit. It takes continual patience to learn how to be kind. I encourage you today to look at you – are you kind? Or are you a victim of being disciplined with an iron fist? Let it go. Let God be kind to you and you learn how to be kind to others and yourself too.
To Be Continued:
Send this to friends need to see how bold and beautiful they really can be with a little encouragement.
FIND me on https://www.facebook.com/donna.reiners.9
LIKE OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM PAGE – https://www.facebook.com/Loveisthenewgreen
Follow me on https://twitter.com/donnareiners
Until next time,
d