When we disobey God, there are consequences. These consequences, no matter how painful, are part of God’s grace-based discipline for the children He loves. His discipline helps us to grow and mature; it also corrects our behavior and restores our joy. If God didn’t discipline us, it would communicate that He doesn’t care about us. Can you imagine what life would be like without His discipline?

Just as God disciplines His children because He loves us and wants the best for us, we should discipline our children with the same purpose. We want them to be safe, to learn from their mistakes, to grow, mature, and make right choices—to live a life that honors God. To fail to discipline is to fall short in love.

But it’s not only the “why” of discipline that’s important, but also the “how.” Follow God’s lead, and let your discipline bring a measured amount of pain, delivered with love and grace for the purpose of correction, rather than with anger or retaliation. Then you can say to your child with confidence and truth, “I discipline you because I love you.”