Thanks Mum For Smacking Me

A couple of days ago I was relating to someone about one of the few occasions when my mum slapped my behind (and though these were few and far between, I’m sure I was bad much more).
I was around the age of 6 or 7 and was going through a phase, when I was out and about on my bike and no one was around I’d use all the curse words I knew. However, because of the teaching about God that my mum had given me, although I wasn’t a Christian, I had a fear of God. So after each bout of swearing, before I’d return home, I’d pray; “God forgive me for saying those bad words Amen”!
This all sounds silly I know, but as I done this over a period, prayer to me became just that phrase and one night my mum decided that after reading us a bed-time story she’d ask me to pray. So I began and with no thought I said “God forgive me for saying those bad words…” And before I could even get to Amen I felt the consequence of being trailed across my mum’s knee and severely smacked.

This is an occasion that I am ever grateful to my mum for because from then to now I’ve never struggled nor had the impulse to use swear words even under stressful or painful circumstances.

Now, I’m not an advocate for beating a child, nor saying that smacking is always a way, the way, nor the best way but discipline is necessary and I know that for me it had a lasting effect on morality in this area.

I wrote this as a positive aspect of having been smacked and taught right morals but as I wrote I thought of how even having morality, righteousness etc instilled into us, though it is good for society and those around us, does not deal with the core of the problem which is an inherited sin, corrupt hearts and enmity with God. Only one answer truly changes us, dealing with the roots of our sinful behaviour and by which we receive God’s forgiveness; trusting Jesus Christ, his fulfilling all righteousness and His work of salvation on the cross on our behalf. Good morals and upright living will get no one to heaven, only Christ does that!