Proverbs 8 is all about the blessing of wisdom.  Well today I also read my daily devotion, part of which was in Deuteronomy.  “Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.”  Deuteronomy 8:5.

My husband and I moved to New Mexico about 18 years ago, with my two daughters.  They were not the least bit happy, which was displayed by their large amounts of rebellion.  For the first five years, we tried many methods of correction:  corner time, time out, whoopins, yelling, giving them whatever they wanted and even washing mouths out with soap.

We neglected to do is seek God’s Word for discipline.

We since have added two more girls and a boy to the mix.  I can honestly tell you, we were not as consistent as we would have liked to be with their discipline.  At times our tempers would get the better of us.

Between a boy determined to scale any feat and girls with sassy mouths, our discipline plate was full.

We have come to learn two very important lessons we want our kids to learn above everything else.

Lesson 1:  “And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'”  Matthew 22:37  We want our children to be lovers of God, first and foremost.

Lesson 2:  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Matthew 22:39

Two ways we have discovered of how to implement these lessons has to do with Obedience and Service.  Obedience should be instant, cheerful, thorough and unconditional.  Service has already been in full swing as my husband and I display this for our children, through our actions towards others.  There is a treasure box, in our home, filled with all kinds of surprises.  When someone is doing something unselfishly for another, without being asked, they are able to pick from the box.  The condition is daddy and I determine if they receive the treasure or not by what we witness.  For example, one afternoon while I was folding laundry my daughter went into the laundry room, brought out the dry clothes to the living room, took the clean wet clothes out of the washer and placed them into the dryer.  She then got a new pile of dirty to put into the washer and then came to tell me the laundry was ready.  I had no idea what she did until I went to investigate, so she clearly got a treasure pick.

Our kids have become kinder over the years.  They have learned a great lesson in caring for others through this treasure box incentive.  Each one has a desire and drive to serve, showing the example of Christ.

Correct your kids’ hearts and their behaviors will change.