Ah, the joys of translation.

I was seeking to illustrate to a group of youth leaders in the Congo how confrontation is not always a fun or enjoyable thing to do, but it is necessary. I asked the question, “Does it bring you joy to discipline your children?” [having the teaching point of Heb.12:3-11 in mind]. They looked at me with a blank stare. One man nodded his head up and down, signifying a “Yes.” with a don’t you expression on his face. To that I responded, “To beat them?” They nodded.

In that moment I had realized that my illustration had failed. Needless to say I had to work another illustration that fit in the culture. Now I am not going to make a case for spanking or beating your children, grounding or giving timeouts. What I will say is that those in the Congo with children were well behaved.