Punishment aboard a pirate ship could include scrubbing the deck, half rations, forty lashes or even walking the plank. You wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of your captain, otherwise you’d have to face his wrath.
Punishment should always fit the crime.
When I was a child, I tried not to get into trouble. But of course, like all kids, sometimes I did bad things and was punished by my parents. I would be sent to my room or made to skip dessert that night. I even had the occasional switch to my behind. Whenever I contemplated doing something against my parents’ commands, I never thought about the consequences. It was like I totally forgot about past punishments. And when I was punished, I would get upset with my parents. I never thought I deserved to be punished. “How dare they do that to me! So unfair!” Yeah, right.
It is understandable that as a child I didn’t want to accept the responsibilities for my actions. I was young and I was acting my age.
Today, I still try not to get into trouble. And even though I have never done anything seriously bad by the world’s standards, I still sin. We all sin every day, whether it be telling lies, stealing office supplies, or much more serious sins. As adults, we have to take responsibility for our actions. As parents and grandparents, we must set a good example for our children and grandchildren.
When we sin and our Heavenly Father punishes us, we have no right to complain.
Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins (Lamentations 3:39 NIV)?
We brought the punishment upon ourselves. We only have ourselves to blame. When we sin, we need to own up to it and confess it to God.
Verse 40: Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.
And let us learn from our mistakes, so that we never make those same mistakes again.
If we come humbly before God and ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive us.
We are the children of God, but we are no longer “children.” We must start acting our age.
Debbie Mitchell