He Took My Place

     I can't remember how old I was at the time, but I have never forgotten the lesson I learned that day.  I was maybe 7 or 8, maybe as old as 10, but let me back up.  I got to thinking about my dad recently, because the 13th anniversary of his death is coming up.  You see he died shortly before Easter on a Saturday evening.  Easter was in April then and not March.  Even still the holiday itself is dreadful for me.  At least it's not Christmas or my birthday!!!
     When I was growing up spankings were a normal part of every one's lives. (not beatings)  Certain infractions in my parents laws demanded that the punishment was a spanking.  We bent over our beds where dad applied his belt to our backsides three times.  It hurt, so mostly we learned to be fairly well behaved children.  However, on this day I had done something, I can't even remember what, that deserved a spanking,  I was sent to my room to await my father's belt!  But this day was different.  My dad said that he wanted me to learn a very important lesson.  He handed me his belt and he bent over my bed.  He said for my punishment I got to spank him!!!!!!!!!!  I didn't get it at the time.  I thought it was funny.  Of course little girls don't have a lot of strength, so I was actually a little disappointed that I couldn't hit him very hard.  As I have now grown I realize two things about the lesson that he was trying to teach me. 1.  My sins hurt him. and 2.  He took my punishment.  What a fitting tribute to the man taken from our family so early in his life, that on Easter the thing we are supposed to remember is that our sins hurt God and yet He took our punishment which we deserve.