To Spank or Not to Spank–Is It Really a Question?

Call me a Libertard, a Millenial, a Snowflake–call me what you will. But it’s time for change. The currents have been moving the last several years, in a better direction. I may be a Bible-believing Christian, but I am 100% against something that most Bible-believing Christians stand staunchly for.

Spanking.

We tell our children, “Don’t hit!” But what is the first thing we do (or threaten) when our child acts up?
“I’m going to wear you out!” 
“If you don’t stop, I’m gonna pop you!”
“Do you want a spanking?!”

So, hitting is wrong…
Unless you’re a child that did something wrong.
And you need to be hit to correct the problem.

So what happens when your kiddo is in school doing a group project, and their neighbor talks to someone not in the group, which the teacher explicitly forbade. Is it all right for your child to haul off and hit that other kiddo? Whether it’s the traditional spank on the posterior or the less-traditional-but-still-used smack across the face?

“Absolutely not!” you scream.

Well, you have spent your child’s lifetime teaching them that it’s not ok to hit someone, unless they’ve done something wrong.

“Not at all!” you retort. “I’ve taught my child that I, as the PARENT, can SPANK them if they misbehave.”

But I can just about guarantee you that THAT is not at all how your child has processed that information.

They think it’s ok to hit–maybe just when someone’s done something wrong, maybe whenever.

You are sending your child mixed signals.

As if they aren’t confused enough with their emotions as they grow–little people with big people feelings.

And another thing: you’ve probably taught your child that their posterior is not an ok area for people to touch. Right?

But…that’s where (traditionally) you SPANK them?

We NEED to rethink our approaches to punishment.

I am not at all suggesting no punishment, only time-ins, etc. I still believe in punishment, though that is for another article. But there are so many better approaches out there than spanking your child (or someone else’s, which I highly recommend never doing, regardless of what permissions the parent has given you).

What can you do differently, maybe starting today?

 

Follow Your Art

EVERYONE NEEDS AN OUTLET.

Outlets are important. Sometimes we needs to channel a negative energy into a positive one, and outlets help us do just that.

ART

WRITING

FLOWER ARRANGING

AND MORE…

I may be a born-again believer (i.e. Christian), but I still believe that our bodies deal with both positive and negative energies. When you’re mad at someone or something (just anger or not aside), that’s negative. When you’re elated because you got a promotion at work, that’s positive. Call it what you will: energy, emotion, vibes…they’re there, and we have to deal with them.

So when negativity comes into play in your life, take a moment to realize that you truly do need–not just need to want–to channel it into something positive, and those outlets can help. Pick something you love, and go for it!

The Battle Rages

A while back (probably a good year or more ago, now), there were a rash of articles and blog posts debating whether or not God can or will give us more than we can handle. Many pointed to 1 Corinthians 10:13:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (ESV)

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so you can endure it. (NIV)

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (KJV)

There is quite a bit to unpack in this one verse. It honestly will probably take multiple blog posts, but we’ll see what we can get accomplished here. Let’s just start at the beginning:

First, in looking at the KJV, the word “you” is used, as opposed to “ye”; thus, Paul (the author of this epistle) is speaking to individuals, not to a group as a whole. He is individually telling each one of us that any temptation we face is “common to man.” We are told in the Bible that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9. NIV), and that includes temptation. Temptation starts with a lie that we entertain and begin to believe until we’re often acting upon it. As the Bible says in James 1:14, “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed…” (KJV). The pattern for temptation has been the same since the beginning, and the Bible is also clear on the fact that temptation never comes from God. EVER. (“And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.” –James 1:13, NLT)

Temptation comes from three sources (as cited by Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologica):

• The World
• The Flesh
• The  Devil

There are no new temptations out there–they’ve always been–and God understands: “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18, NIV).

So now that we’ve established WHERE temptation comes from, that it’s NOT new, and that God DOES understand, the question still stands if God honestly gives us more than we can handle.

My personal belief is that, yes, he does.

More than we can handle, mind you. More that we, in our fallen, human state, can handle.

But, graciously, not more than we can handle through “[Christ] who gives [us] strength” (Philippians 4:13, NIV). God does provide a way out with the temptation, even though He’s not the one “providing” the temptation! How gracious! How merciful! He understands, and not just in some “because He’s God” kind of way, but in a very human way since He came to Earth as Christ incarnate.

So next time you think you can handle that big bad temptation all by yourself, think again. Even Job collapsed under temptation and questioned God. David fell prey to temptation many a time throughout his life.

We canNOT handle temptation alone. But through God’s strength, we can escape.

 

Endurance Writing

You’ve, no doubt, heard of endurance running. But what is endurance writing?

Just as in Track & Field, you have endurance runs and sprints, so also in writing, you have endurance tasks and sprint tasks.

Unlike Track & Field, however, just about anything in writing can turn into a marathon. That’s not the goal, though.

Some sprint tasks would include things like

• Poetry
• Short stories
• Articles
• Smaller research papers

Whereas, when I think of marathon tasks, two (perhaps three) major categories come to mind:

• Books/Novels – non-fiction and fiction alike
• Dissertations/Theses – think Master’s degree and up
• Blogging

I’d like to focus on blogging.

Blogging is unique in that the individual posts are generally sprints, yet we cannot lose sight of the fact that the blogging process as a whole is a marathon.

In fact, a writer’s entire literary career is a marathon. There will be times momentum is gained, and there will be times it will be lost. There will be highs and lows; there will be times of great inspiration and times of great frustration. Times we cramp up, and times we can go for miles.

But the fact remains that we must never give up, regardless of the obstacle ahead. Is there a 10-foot wall to climb without a rope? Lend a hand…or grab one, if you’re the one in need. The writing community should be close-knit and supportive. Let’s build one another up, cheer each other on, and always remember to pass on a literary smile as much as you can.

In Search of Perspiration

I knew I needed to write another blog post–honestly, I’m truly trying to keep up with my blog this time!–but could think of nothing to get me going.

So? I turned to handy ol’ Google.

A quick search turned up a few…erm, interesting?…results.

But at least those results turned into a post idea (and even gave me the idea for my title!). And, no, I’m not actually in search of perspiration. I was in search of inspiration! And I found it. I also found what websites I would not be getting some ideas from.

For example, one website boasts of  “Unusual, creative and fun ways to come up with amazing blog post ideas on demand.”

• Even if I can ignore the fact that the Oxford comma is missing, I can’t get over the very next sentence.

“Assuming this and you have woke up to a Blank Screen these TIPS should help: …”

Nope, I’m not making that up. Yup, you read it correctly.

However, I will give this site some credit: it likened blogging to a marathon not a sprint, and there were some decent ideas on how to break writer’s block (though not so much on prompts).

Ok, so what was the entire point of this post? Proofread, people. Proofread.

Thatisall.