My sister is older than me and when we were kids she used to love to tease and bully her younger sister. I remember an incident where she bashed my dolls head on the bathtub.... Now this lead to much 'a bawling and a squaking'.
My mom had endless patience with us as kids... but... When mom got cross, we knew we were in trouble, and this was one such occassion. In case you are wondering.... We both got hidings.
Many folks struggle with the question, when do I show grace and when do I discipline? I suppose our views on that are shaped by our childhood and whether we grew up in a household that exercised the "spare the rod and spoil the child principle".
I suppose it all boils down to intent. If misbehaviour is accidental, then maybe grace and guidance would be the best way to go. If the bad behaviour is intentional, then a good dose of discipline would be in order.
We all have to have experienced grace though to know it's true value. Thankfully, we can be taught about that one by a master. Jesus gave us a great example to follow!
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