Lately, I’ve been thinking about discipline in terms of whether its use or lack thereof has a bearing on the state of our society.

Father’s soft voice echoed in my ear. “Without discipline as a child, most people will grow up without significant compassion.”

That pairing had never occurred to me. Discipline and Compassion. So my mind hesitated to accept it even while my heart was agreeing completely. Shouldn’t I research this concept before sharing it willy-nilly?

Maybe. But then again there were many months when I second-guessed Father, researching and verifying everything he said. And in the long run, all I had accomplished was to slow down my progress with him. He was always correct and he simply didn’t need my research to confirm it.

One day he said, “I’ll be sitting over here waiting. Take your time. I’ll be here.” But I could see him in my spirit sitting in a chair with his legs crossed and one leg was swinging. Something I often do when I’m waiting “patiently” but really I’m impatient.

My logical brain likes to stick a question in the air of whether I’m hearing Father’s voice or my own (or some other) hanging like some neon sign of right behavior.

Well, fine, I thought. Stick that up there if you want, but I’m going to assume the concept is correct and move forward with the revelation to see where it leads.

Immediately, a scenario played across my imagination screen. A child who was never disciplined and continued into adulthood never knowing guilt. I know one of those children, and even as she nears 30, she still seems to have almost no guilt within herself.

It is a problem. She has no compass, nor does she possess a concrete identity. And oddly, she has little to no Compassion for her fellow humans. Is she my litmus test?

This is also the description of a significant portion of our society, it seems. Most were raised with little discipline. But is that explanation too simplistic?

I realize that discipline causes one to see their own human error, and to grasp that they could be guilty of cruelty, even evil toward others. It appears to be a significant part of being a fully developed human.

I was raised during the generation which taught that we were all sinners. And that caused some terrible trauma. So I understand why this doctrine morphed and gained better explanations. I wonder now if a truer explanation of sin isn’t an inability to fathom our own penchant to be guilty. And this is why we need constant forgiveness.

Weren’t those who crucified Jesus unequivocally convinced that they understood scriptures without a tiny fraction of error? Therefore they possessed no guilt in their actions. Not even the smallest hint.

Now it seems that my revelation is leading me to embrace the purpose of guilt even though I have so often found guilt to be a waste of time and intense emotion. My generation became too assimilated in guilt. And this one became too little.

I’m sure there are many situations where this revelation might not apply. But I’m currently seeing many where it does.

It definitely plays a part in acquiring our Identity. And without a fully developed Identity, we can have no Compassion.

Thank you for letting me share my latest insight and my ramblings to understanding. I hope it speaks to you in some way. Please share with me how this processed for you.

Faith

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