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:
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I
am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content
whatever the circumstances.
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Not
that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever
circumstances I am.
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Not
that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether
I have much or little.
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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.
