'[ONE OF] THE WORSE WHIPPINGS I EVER HAD'

One of the worst whippings I ever got happened on Thanksgiving! Yes, that's right. The day that we are supposed to express our thankfulness to God for all that He is and all that He has done. Traditionally, it is a day of turkey and dressing... but not that Thanksgiving. Tenderloin, biscuits and gravy. If you are expecting the rest of the menu, that's it. Tenderloin, biscuits and gravy.

We were coming home from somewhere that I don't remember but I do remember repeatedly asking if we could go out for thanksgiving dinner. Mom said she didn't feel well and Dad kept saying no. No matter how hard I tried to convince them that it wasn't Thanksgiving with turkey and dressing, Dad said no. So at that moment, I had a choice to make. Either stop rebelling against them which would settle things down OR keep mouthing until I got the (one of) the worst whipping(s) I had ever had. Obviously I didn't shut up and it really caused me pain.

I REALLY remember that whipping... with the belt as usual. But more stripes on my backside than usual. I even tried to pull away and convince Dad that he had given me enough but he didn't feel the same way. [I want to emphasize my Dad was very loving. He was a great deal of fun when Brian and I were behaving but when we didn't behave, we were guaranteed to get a serious whipping with the belt. Part of being loving is using discipline when needed. If he didn't love me, he would have let me do whatever I wanted and then deal with how I turned out on my own.]

Here's where you come into the story. I am sure that my dad didn't personally whip you but maybe our Heavenly Father has whipped you and me both. If you are rebelling against God's authority, you can be sure a whipping of some sort is on the way. And you don't get to pick what it is and how long it will last. I am still getting whipped for some things I did decades ago.

So make the right choice. Obey God. Accept the fact that He has all of the authority and He has the final say. As a pastor, one of the biggest thrills in my life is preventing people from getting a whipping. OBEDIENCE EQUALS BLESSINGS. Amen?