Slave versus Son: the way...
Illustration
Slave versus Son: the way we raise our families, how we relate to contemporaries, the integrity of our discipleship as people trying to live a Christian life.
We have the choice of ordering or requesting to get something done. We can choose force or engage free will. We decide if a relationship will be that of slave/owner or kin.
In a family, giving orders fuels rebellion. We reserve orders for emergencies. We can guide, lead and offer choices within parental boundaries. Doing so awakens a different response of self-respect and self-esteem in our youngsters.
Consider the image of a rope.
We can use a rope to hobble a horse or to guide it to water.
A rope can be an instrument of imprisonment, binding one's hands and feet. Strung between barn and house as a guide during a blizzard however, it can be a tool of freedom.
One might knot and throw into the water as a lifeline the same rope that could take a life.
For an animal, a rope can become a disciplinary choke chain or a hand held rein moved ever so subtly to elicit response.
Two people can use a rope in an ongoing tug of war, or they can knot it together to form a bridge. With pulleys, a rope can span two city apartments, a river or other chasm to relay messages or carry packages.
--Brauninger
We have the choice of ordering or requesting to get something done. We can choose force or engage free will. We decide if a relationship will be that of slave/owner or kin.
In a family, giving orders fuels rebellion. We reserve orders for emergencies. We can guide, lead and offer choices within parental boundaries. Doing so awakens a different response of self-respect and self-esteem in our youngsters.
Consider the image of a rope.
We can use a rope to hobble a horse or to guide it to water.
A rope can be an instrument of imprisonment, binding one's hands and feet. Strung between barn and house as a guide during a blizzard however, it can be a tool of freedom.
One might knot and throw into the water as a lifeline the same rope that could take a life.
For an animal, a rope can become a disciplinary choke chain or a hand held rein moved ever so subtly to elicit response.
Two people can use a rope in an ongoing tug of war, or they can knot it together to form a bridge. With pulleys, a rope can span two city apartments, a river or other chasm to relay messages or carry packages.
--Brauninger
