“I could have died if you’d have loved me more,” wailed a tough child who is struggling hard to protest against the tough love of his father. In a sense, he was simply trying to cover up his mistakes by a loud wailing like the vixens who couldn’t endure the cold wintry nights in the woods.
In many instances, I’d wanted to grow up fast to escape from the disciplining nature of the elders in my family. My big brother and I were dearly loved. But to us that is so tough, we wanted to escape from it. By now, I know how to appreciate living under the authority of my father.
In reality, we struggled to love back who was put in the position to discipline us with love. Had we been subjected more to the love and authority of the seniors who – first tasted the world know the way to survive, we would be successful in our life.
People should be taught the existence of higher authority over them. And above all, God retains supreme authority over mankind. In that way, they will learn the virtues of life and would be more ready to face the world with obligations towards others. When, in the house, loved ones turn aside for a moment to discipline you.
Disciplining was sure almost out of context in the modern world now. Every child has the right to protest for protection from their parents, which is a good way of survival for many. But disciplining is an act of love. In my belief, a God-fearing parent wouldn’t subject their children more than they can handle should they be under the influence of drugs or sickness. Yet we should respect the rule of the law wherever we raised our children.
Tough Love of Mine:
‘Love is tough,’ said my children to me too. Sometimes I sounded and acted gross/bad to them. But in the end, I hold them in my arms. It’ never out of love, it is only because I want them to do well in their living.
Every act of discipline, until now, ended in prayer with them. We took the matter to Jesus Christ. It was followed by me trying to let them smile although I’m not sure how long can I do it. But with God, everything is possible as long as we try it.
It would be hard to see them going the ways where many failed. Understanding and patience are always the keys. Tough, sometimes I might be, it’s a necessity for either of the parents or for both. We hardly use the ‘rod of discipline’ but when necessary.
Loving each other maybe tough but it’s the need of the hour up to a certain age. It is mainly because we don’t want our children going the ways of the world although we too long for it in phases of our life. It’s always tempting to live free with no obligations even after we have the gifts of having to look after them, the privilege which many didn’t receive.
Tough Love in Relationships:
Relationships, especially in marriage started with very intense, romantic, sweet love which blossoms into a love that would never separate two souls. It will never really separate the heart and souls indeed. But the maintenance, too shallow a word it might be to describe, can be tough.
Love is tough at times in the heart of a marriage. The elements of a good relationship which once were the building blocks of the tower seem inexistent. The ways of expressing love which touch the sentiments of the others are hard to find as we are buried in running the house more than our relationship. Real emotion needs hiding at times as well.
Sometimes love isn’t enough to run the family. It’s more of finance, adjustments, authority, and the likes which crept inside the roots of marriages. We talked less, we get old, we have less time, trying so much to make things working eats up the love which we purely enjoyed before. Loneliness like never before creeps in, which may ruin the circle of love.
Again, in marriage, love is tough. Declining love percentage and average needed to be renewed. If your partner doesn’t allow, it’s more even an arduous task. Seeking the love languages and discovering the love languages. Tough love in a relationship can result in a sweet reunion but can lead to a bitter end as well.
God’s Tough Love:
If God loves you why suffer? This is the question many asked. Some get the answer; some are too quick to give up before getting the answer. Anyways, it’s a matter of spirit which can be answered by the Holy Spirit itself. And for that, we need spending time with God.
“Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand. When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin, you consumed their wealth like a moth – surely everyone is but a breath,” wrote the Psalmist in Psalms 39:10,11.
We are one special child of God in our existence. However, that doesn’t entail an escape from suffering. Job, in the Bible, is a true warrior of God who suffers to the extreme. God’s love is tough; his friends even advised him to desert his God, which he did not.
Today, there are many who simply deserted the Lord our God in their slightest case of suffering, failure, and for prosperity. They would change minds worshiping all kinds of gods. However, God’s tough love is for us to discover more of his goodness. The route of God’s own people isn’t easy either.
Tough love in the Cross; God deserted His own son for us to be saved. The suffering goes on until the purpose was completed. The feeling of loneliness without the Father would be hard to bear. I don’t have enough words to describe the pain on the Cross.
Psalms 22 Longing For God:
The other day I was going through Psalms 22, wondering what compelled David to write a Psalm of this kind although in many of his Psalms we can find his longings for God. Here I wanted to put in few of the opening verses and recommend reading the rest if you have the Holy Bible in your hand.
It is indeed the cry of Jesus on the cross when the Lord had forsaken him bearing all the sin of mankind.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.
In the end, it is for the scorned and despised; the sufferings and afflicted to be raised in the dominion of Jesus Christ leading a victorious life in the love of God reuniting the fallen man through the begotten son of the Lord.
Tough Love often ended in tough bonding!
