Hope and Assurance

"But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord."
–Jeremiah 9:24

Hope and Assurance

This website was created for those acquainted with mental illness and in need of hope and assurance.

Question of the Month

If you have a question that you would like addressed, or have comments or suggestions, please let me hear from you. Contact: carolyn@hopeandassurance.com

I can’t buy my kids what they want this year because of our finances. I feel terrible. I’m used to giving them everything on their list and much more. Our credit cards already have too much on them. I believe buying them everything shows them how much I love them. What can I do?

This week, the elementary school watched the high school’s annual Christmas play. The opening scene shows Santa’s elves busily preparing Christmas toys. When Mrs. Claus enters the workshop, an elf asks her about the meaning of Christmas. She invites the elves to sit at her feet as she tells the story of the Christ Child, Jesus. She invites the children in the audience to join them in singing “Away in a Manger”. I could hear no one singing those familiar words of truth that have been passed down for generations. Some children turned their heads as they heard me singing behind them.

In the next scene, we see toys lined up on a shelf. They briefly come to life as they are inspected. Sponge Bob, Barbie and Dora the Explorer, among others, had the children on their feet shouting and loudly singing their theme songs.

When children know TV characters and toys better than their Heavenly Father, we are all in trouble.

Will Barbie and Ken speak to our daughters about how to love themselves when their bodies are less than perfect and their parents cannot afford the latest perfectly matched outfits? Will they teach our sons to love and honor their wives as Christ loves the church? Do they model commitment and fidelity? Does Ken believe family is more important than any personal desires? Does Barbie see children as a blessing and motherhood as a precious gift?

Will the crude mouthed yellow sponge teach our precious ones how to respect and honor individual uniqueness? Will his atrocious manners enable our children to earn respect as they enter school and the workplace? Does Sponge Bob and his sidekicks understand we are here for a purpose much greater than ourselves?

Does Dora the Explorer, know the way to heaven? Does her backpack contain the most important road map of all – the Bible? Does she use God’s Word to show her the way and light her path?

Don’t let TV replace God’s teaching and God’s wisdom. Dora, Sponge Bob, Barbie and all the other latest and greatest toys and shows are not what this life is about. This life is about preparing for our eternity. Giving our children everything they want and more teaches them to only want more. They will never be satisfied by what the world gives. God is our Maker and He alone truly satisfies. His Word tells us everything we need to know to live a meaningful and blessed life that honors Him.

I cry for the children who are given so much; but, have so little of eternal value.

Let this Christmas be your family’s opportunity to give rather than receive. I encourage you to look around your house and find toys, furniture, and household items that you can give as gifts. Reach out to others with what you already have. Who has admired your coffee table forever or would give anything to own a coat like yours? What child has played with a toy the entire evening at your house and wanted to take it home? Who keeps borrowing the same tool? There is nothing more gratifying than pleasing someone else. The feeling of satisfaction and excitement lasts much, much longer than anything you could put on credit.

Maybe, you could adopt a child for Christmas from Salvation Army and fulfill their wishes from your own possessions. There are always families at our children’s school who will not have a Christmas unless someone helps. Perhaps, as a family, you could prepare a meal for a needy family in your neighborhood. Your family’s kindness and generosity may surprise you as they decide what to give and to whom. Giving of ourselves for the good of others always gives back much more than we gave.

Don’t forget to give your children the eternal gift of knowing personally and intimately their Savior, Jesus Christ. Sing the Christmas carols that have been sung by families for hundreds of years. Read the Christmas story of Jesus’s birth in each of the four gospels and also read how His birth was promised hundreds of years before in the Old Testament. This will continue to teach values and truths to your children throughout their lifetime. I pray that this Christmas will be the one your children talk about with gratitude to your grandchildren and great-grandchildren.