A Balanced Approach

Parenting Sermon Illustration

“If you focus exclusively on either the rod or communication, you will be like a ship with all the cargo loaded on one side. You won’t sail very well. Communication and the rod are not stand-alone methods. They are designed to work together. This is the point of Hebrews 12:5-6…Your children need to be known and understood—thus rich communication is necessary. They also need authority. They need limits that are clear and correction that is predictable—thus the rod is necessary.” (Tedd Tripp, Shepherding A Child’s Heart, 116)