Love God and Fear God

I've always been taught to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul." In my Bible Fellowship class recently, we discussed the importance of Fearing God also. Is it weird if I don't fear God? I mean- I know that He is all powerful and there are major consequences if we deny Him.....but I try to live my life to serve Him and please Him. So should I still have that fear? I came to God as a new believer when I was very young, and it was His mercy and love that drew me close to Him- and that same mercy and love still draw me close to Him today!

Maybe different people are motivated differently. You see, I always hated getting in trouble. I am a people pleaser. My dad could just look at me with a stern face (and not say anything) and I would start crying. My husband, on the other hand, would dare his mom to keep spanking him when he got in trouble. He reminds me of some of my 6th grade students! How many buttons can I push before she REALLY goes off the deep end?! (Like that would be funny or something.) I guess there's a balance needed between LOVE and FEAR. Sometimes, love is not enough. Sometimes, there must be consequences for our actions. Sometimes, we just need to be reminded of Judgment Day!

This concept of balancing love and fear is also true for teaching and parenting. Our kids need us to love them unconditionally, believe in them, and encourage them. We can help them learn how to make good decisions for themselves...but sometimes this love is not enough. That's when discipline comes into play. I believe in giving natural consequences. I feel fortunate that my experience teaching has helped me learn (a little bit) about parenting.