The Rod of Correction

Proverbs 29:11-17 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
12 If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked.
13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both.
14 If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure.
15 The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.
16 When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall.
17 Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.

I can't remember a time when I was being disciplined because I deserved it.

Of course I can. I learned a lot from my mistakes. The "rod of correction" or, the "board of education" as my uncle called it began each session.

My mother used to say things like: "If you say that again, I will wash your mouth out with soap". Well, one of the worst influences in my life at that time was Spanky, from the show, "The Little Rascals". It never occurred to me to try a bar of soap, until I saw Spanky digesting one. My mother was threatening me with this? Just look at Spanky go. He's blowing bubbles!

So, I went upstairs to try my first bite. It was not all of the fun Spanky made it out to be. I could not get the taste out of my mouth for hours.

Another episode of Spanky's antics forced me to realize that Spanky was not looking out for my best interest.

I watched as Spanky walked over to the chicken nest and pulled out an egg. Silence and the crackling of old sound tracks playing silence. Then Spanky threw the egg against the side of the barn door. The scene was of Spanky (silently, with the crackle of old soundtracks) watching the egg role down the barn door. No big deal. I know, because I tried that too.

One day, not too long after I threw one of Daffy's (a duck) eggs against the barn door, I went out to where my father was trimming limbs from the Willow Tree. Daffy locked on to me. As I stepped toward my father, she shortened her path by continuing to make changes in her direction so that she might zero in on me. I realized that I was the prey and Daffy the preditor. All I could do is run around the Willow Tree. My father laughed. I had to get in the house. So, I broke to a straight line for the back door of the house. Then, 'THWACK' on the back of my head. Did I mention Daffy could fly?

Later on, my father reminded me of what I had done to Daffy's egg. My father told me that Daffy was giving me a warning.

With antics resulting in getting a belt layed across my back side for smoking in the barn (Not necessarily for smoking in the barn. That just happened to be where I got caught), treating myself to a sample of what my mother said she would make me eat for foul language and Daffy nailing me on the back of the head, I learned to not allow myself to be negatively influenced. I can not say that I had been successful at avoiding all of the negative attractions. But for the most part, I turned out.