The great lipstick war of '76

Proverbs 17:15 he who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord

Hebrews 12:11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.


One night in the spring of 1976, my parents walked two doors down the street to speak with some friends for about 50 minutes or so. In that short time, my brother Chris (age 9 at the time)and myself (age 6) decided to run a muck, as hard as we could. We thought it would be a great idea to take mom's lipstick and have a war. We attacked each other with different shades of red, pink and brown. The major casualty of our war was the hallway upstairs, as it got covered in lipstick as well. We were still heavily engaged in our warfare when mom and dad returned from the neighbor's house. Now my dad is one of the most patient fellas you will find, but that night his eyes of fury spoke for Him as he approached us. He was justifiably mad with my brother and me. The punishment we received was a justified spanking for the both of us. The result of that punishment was two kids full of regret for their actions and I promise that Chris and I never got near the lipstick again. As a matter a fact I think we were scared to mention the word.

When you think about God's interaction with man, he seeks to make us Holy by blessing us and disciplining us. It seems that there are many people who do not understand that grace of Jesus still involves discipline. Don't miss this, God has to bless us sometimes with hardship, to shape us into His image. Paul had a "thorn in the flesh" that humbled Him into a further reliance on God. God's grace is not a cheap grace, it is a grace that exists to protect the Holiness of God. That grace is extended to us through Jesus, as he regenerates us for one purpose, to praise God.

Just like old Tom (my dad) back in '76, God has to discipline us with a tough and righteous love that humbles our pride, and opens our hearts to a loving authority. Only then are our hearts soft and fertile enough to accept the blessings that follow from a loving father that loves to shower with gifts, but not at the expense of ruining the child.

Oh, and if you were wondering, Chris easily one the battle, as I was covered head to toe.