Black Friday Contentment

This is Black Friday, recorded as the largest retail sales day of the year.

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I don’t know how you are spending  “Black Friday” or the days leading up to it. You possibly have been checking the sales flyers as they arrive on your doorstep or have watched ads or maybe have gone early to wait for the doors of the store to open.

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It is often amusing to watch what measures we Americans go through to make a purchase. I must be honest when I tell you I was more than a bit surprised to see a news piece about a family who had chosen to “camp” (that’s right, four man tent) outside their chosen destination for a complete week to be the first in line.  Yes, you read correct, this family was in line for ONE WEEK? 

Yesterday as we visited with our children for Thanksgiving and knowing I needed to submit a post, I asked the children what we had done as parents that they are thankful for.  I love their hearts as they spoke up about a plethora of things for which they are grateful.

One particular comment intrigued me from our 20-year-old college student.  He said, “You didn’t give me a car.”  He was immediately questioned about this statement. To some it may have seemed to add insult to injury when he said, “No, I mean it! Even if they had the money, they wouldn’t have bought us a car.”

It’s true; we have never bought our children a car.  When looking at our families needs, we decided that we would not purchase cars for the children. Not the decision all families have made, just one we thought right for the Anderson bunch.

Our children will bombard us with lists of “wants” especially between now and Christmas. As parents when our children ask for things, we will have to decide do they “need” this item,

A friend was telling me about a precious family that has adopted a beautiful 7-year-old little girl from a country in Africa.  She knew such poverty before she entered this family.  My friend had met the child earlier this year when she had been in America with her forever family only a few months.  She saw the little girl last week, she was running around with her list for Santa, asking her mom for her password so she could order her gifts.  My friend said to me, “Seven months ago she didn’t know where her meal for the day was coming from, today she is shopping on the internet expecting toys to show up on her doorstep.”

Philippians 4: 11 is beautifully written in the following versions and paraphrases: 

NIV ©	I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
NASB ©	Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
NLT ©	Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little.
MSG ©	Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances.

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 I love the definition for contentment as: 

“contented with one's lot, with one's means, though the slenderest.”

Moms, lets do our part to teach our children contentment.  It’s super tough when other children show our children their toys and other parents mention their purchases.  It isn’t for us to judge, we aren’t in the other family’s financial situation, nor do we need to make our family’s conviction anothers.

Our place as parents is to teach them contentment.  As Paul may have written, “with cars or without a meal, I have learned to be content.” Lets teach our children contentment.