Sweet repentance

In my precious little boy, I am seeing a sweet picture of repentance. Now, I know you will find this hard to believe, but there are times when Chris can be a bit of a stinker. He'll often try to touch things he shouldn't, or open cabinets that I don't want him in, or start to wander to the street. When he does start to act up, we have a wooden spoon that we'll pop him with, just hard enough to get his attention. Usually he'll hold him arm where we popped him and just look at us. However, lately he has started doing something else: as soon as we spank him, he runs over to us and wraps his arms around our legs like he is saying "I'm sorry!" Tonight he was trying to get in the dishwasher (not allowed), so I gave him a little pop. He looked up at me, gave me a hug, and then ran off to play. What a sweet picture of repentance! It occured to me that I think that is how God wants us to respond to discipline. It is for our good, and for the purpose of drawing us closer to Him. I am thankful for that reminder in my son.