That is true in real life as well. Kids want the security that comes from discipline. Now, children are not always thrilled about discipline. But the important question is not whether a child likes being disciplined now, but rather what they are going to think twenty years from now about the discipline their parents provided. Parents, if our discipline is fair and consistent, if we mean what we say, if we discipline not out of anger, but out of love, twenty years from now most of our children will thank us for the discipline we gave them.
Good relationships testify to the power of the Christian gospel.
People are impressed by a happy, healthy Christian family. I'm convinced, however, that the foundation, the beginning of good family relationships, is a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Children are going to have a very tough time honoring and obeying their parents if they have never trusted in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Parents will find it a very difficult task to consistently love and discipline their children unless they are able to draw on the power of God's Spirit which is available to all who are believers in Jesus Christ. So, I believe the first step in being a good parent, the first step in being a good son or daughter, is to make certain we have come into a right relationship with God by trusting in Jesus Christ.